Serious self-harm incidents triggered by social isolation in children and young people increased during strict Covid-19 lockdowns by as much as 300 per cent, new global research has shown.
Psychiatrists have called for more funding and development of community mental health services due to the findings, which have been published in the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ BJPsych Open. Researchers at King’s College London analysed data from 2,073 emergency self-harm hospital visits for children and young people across 10 countries, including England, comparing March to April 2020 with the same period in 2019.
The study found that boys needing urgent support from emergency services doubled, and then tripled for children in care. Meanwhile, girls continued to be over-represented in self-harm figures, researchers said.
