Intentional self-harm hospitalisations among young people

The data presented here are for children and young people aged between 0 and 24, grouped into 3 age ranges: 14 and below, 15–19 and 20–24 years. For children, especially those aged under 10, it is difficult to determine whether a self-inflicted injury was done with intent to self-harm.

Young people have the highest rates of hospitalisation for intentional self-harm

In 2018–19:

• the age-specific hospitalisation rate due to intentional self-harm was lowest for children aged 14 and below (24 per 100,000 population)
• the rate for young people aged 15–19 was 354 hospitalisations per 100,000 population, while the rate for 20–24 year olds was lower, 250 per 100,000 population
• the age and sex-specific rate was highest for females aged 15–19 (555 hospitalisations per 100,000 population), followed by females aged 20–24 (336)
• rates for young males were lower (161 and 168 for males aged 15–19 and 20–24, respectively).

Rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for girls and young females are rising

From 2008–09 to 2018–19:

• the rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations in females aged 14 and below doubled (from 19.2 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2008–09 to 42.2 in 2018–19, with a peak of 48.9 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2016–17)
• the rate of intentional self-harm hospitalisations in females aged 15–19 has risen from 376 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2008–09 to 555 in 2018–19, with a peak of 687 hospitalisations per 100,000 population in 2016–17
• rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for females aged 15–19 were at least 60–70% higher than for males in this same age group
• rates of intentional self-harm hospitalisations for males have also increased over this period but not to the same extent as that of females; the greatest increase was in the 15–19 age group (from 125 per 100,000 population in 2008–09 to 161 in 2018–19).