Prevalence of non-suicidal self-harm and service contact in England, 2000–14: repeated cross-sectional surveys of the general population

Publication date: Available online 4 June 2019Source: The Lancet PsychiatryAuthor(s): Sally McManus, David Gunnell, Claudia Cooper, Paul E Bebbington, Louise M Howard, Traolach Brugha, Rachel Jenkins, Angela Hassiotis, Scott Weich, Louis ApplebySummaryBackgroundThe number of people presenting to hospital emergency departments after self-harming has increased in England. However, most people who self-harm do not present to hospitals, so whether this rise reflects an increase in the prevalence of self-harm in the community is unknown. Also unknown is whether the prevalence of non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) or suicidal self-harm, or both, has increased. We aimed to establish temporal trends in the prevalence of NSSH in England.MethodsWe analysed data from participants in the 2000 (n=7243), 2007 (n=6444), and 2014 (n=6477) Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys of the general population, selecting those aged 16–74 years and living in England. We used weighted data and controlled for complex survey design. We generated temporal trends in lifetime prevalence and methods of, and motivations for, NSSH, and consequent service contact. We used multiple variable logistic regression analyses to investigate factors associated with service contact.FindingsThe prevalence of self-reported lifetime NSSH increased from 2·4% (95% CI 2·0–2·8) in 2000, to 6·4% (5·8–7·2) in 2014. Increases in prevalence were noted in both sexes and across age groups—most notably in women and girls aged 1...
Source: The Lancet Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research