Reports of self-harm jumped nearly 70 per cent among younger teen girls in the UK between 2011 and 2014, suggesting an urgent need for interventions targeted to this group, researchers say.
Self-harm, such as self-poisoning or self-injury, is the strongest risk factor for subsequent suicide, and suicide is the second most common cause of death before age 25 worldwide, the study team notes in the journal The BMJ.
"We found an increase in self-harm among girls aged 13 to 16 years of age not seen in any other age groups amongst girls or any of the age range we investigated among boys," lead author Catharine Morgan told Reuters Health in an email, reports Fox News.
"We are unable to say for certain why this rise was observed. It may be a combination of an increase in girls actually reporting the self-harm or it may be a reflection of an increase in psychological distress among girls of this age group," said Morgan, a researcher at the University of Manchester.
"We hope parents, grandparents, teachers and healthcare providers through the study may be more mindful of self-harm and the mental wellbeing among young people," Morgan said.
Roughly one in five of these kids harmed themselves again sometime during the year after their first episode, researchers found.
Overall, annual rates of self-harm were 37.4 per 10,000 girls and 12.3 per 10,000 boys.
"Self-harm behavior is complex and resources for children, parents, and teachers are constantly being updated," Morgan said, adding that parents should know there is help out there and expert advice as to how best to approach the problem.