Hundreds of children and teenagers across Leeds are self-harming so badly they’re admitted to hospital.
Those are the alarming findings of figures obtained by LeedsLive.
The data, released by the NHS, shows there were 1,915 self-harm admissions to hospital in 2018/19 where patients were registered as living in the Leeds CCG catchment area.
Some 165 of these admissions were for children aged between 10 and 14 years old. A further 370 were for youngsters aged 15-19.
It means more than one in every four hospital admissions because of self-harm in Leeds was for a teenager or younger.
The figures include admissions where a person deliberately hurt themselves with sharp objects or purposefully poisoned themselves using drugs and alcohol, as well as other types of self harm.
Tom Madders, director of campaigns for the mental health charity YoungMinds, said: "We know that children and young people today face a wide range of pressures.
"Difficult experiences in childhood, like abuse or neglect, can have a huge impact on mental health, but there are also new pressures that have emerged in recent years.
"The education system now places a greater emphasis than ever on exam results, while the rise of social media can make problems like bullying or body image issues more intense than they were in the past.
"For many young people, it is still really difficult to get early help for their mental health when they first reach out for support.
"Facing a long waiting list or not meeting the threshold for treatment often results in problems getting worse.
"The government must make early intervention a priority, so young people get help when problems first emerge, long before they reach crisis point."
Only one year of data was provided in the analysis so comparisons with earlier years cannot be made.
Across England, a total of 66 self-harm admissions to hospital were for children aged four and younger.
A further 110 were for children aged between five and nine, and 7,457 were for children between the ages of 10 and 14.
There were also 20,611 self-harm hospital admissions for teens aged between 15 and 19 years old - by far the highest number across any of the five-year age bands included in the analysis.
Sam Royston, Director of Policy and Research at The Children’s Society said: "Being admitted to hospital as a result of self-harm is frequently a frightening experience but often within hours young people will find themselves back in their bedrooms waiting for their first CAMHS appointment with no other support.
"It’s crucial that wrap around, ongoing mental health support in the community is available for children in crisis, to reduce the need for hospital admissions and provide care for young people throughout and following an episode of severe mental ill health."
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