More islanders treated for self-harm in A&E

Rise in Self-Harm Cases Reported at Jersey’s A&E

More people in Jersey are seeking emergency care for self-harm, according to a new report from Public Health Jersey (PHJ).

In 2024, 550 patients visited the emergency department for mental health-related issues, with 245 of those cases involving self-harm. PHJ’s report highlights a concerning trend: while self-harm among young people has decreased compared to 2021, the number of adults engaging in self-harm has been rising steadily since 2019.

The report also revealed a sharp rise in mental health medication prescriptions over the last nine years. Antidepressant use increased by 22%, while prescriptions for insomnia and anxiety rose by 23%.

Among teenagers aged 14 to 16, nearly one in four (22%) said they had considered self-harm in the past year, and 14% reported having acted on those thoughts. The figures were even higher among those who described their health as “bad” or “very bad,” with half saying they had thought about hurting themselves.

Bullying was another significant factor, with 27% of bullied young people admitting to self-harm—double the rate of their non-bullied peers.

Despite these challenges, PHJ noted a decline in the overall number of young people self-harming compared to 2021. However, emergency department visits related to self-harm have shown a fluctuating pattern over the past decade. After peaking at 240 cases in 2013, numbers dropped to a low of 145 in 2019, but have since risen again—reaching 245 cases in both 2021 and 2024, the highest figures in that time span.