Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 December 2016
146. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the number of incidents of suspected self-harm reported in the past year in respect of children between the ages of eight and 14; the extent to which such cases have been investigated with a view to appropriate action; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40406/16]
View answerThe 2015 annual report of the National Suicide Research Foundation collected self-harm data from all 36 acute hospitals which that operated in Ireland during that year. This report found the rate of self-harm amongst 10-14 year-olds in 2015 to be 178 per 100,000 for females in this age range and 45 per 100,000 for males in this age range. The Registry does record information on self-harm among children under the age of 10; however, since this concerns a small number of cases per year, rates of self-harm per 100,000 for children under the age of 10 are not calculated. The Registry also records referrals for patients discharged from the emergency department following self-harm. In 2015 these referrals included the following: outpatient appointments, recommendations to attend their GP, a recommendation of other services such as psychological services, community-based mental health teams and addiction services, and transfers to another hospital for psychiatric and medical treatment.
