The incidence of self-harm ingestions in adolescents and young adults at a tertiary care center

Abstract

Background: There has been an increasing incidence of self-harm attempts in recent years in the United States. Particularly concerning, there has been a growing trend of self-harm in the adolescent and young adult population. In order to inform initiatives to address this trend, risk factors and substances used for self-harm need to be clarified.

Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective observational study on all cases of self-harm poisoning in patients between the ages of 12 and 25 years reported at the state's only tertiary care center from January 2019 through March 2022.

Results: There was an increased incidence of 69% for self-harm poisonings for all ages and a 90% increase in ages 12-17 years between the years 2019 and 2021. Fifty percent of all cases occurred in patients aged 14-17 years, 69% were female, and 22% required an intensive care unit. The top three most common substances used are available without a prescription.

Discussion: There was a persistent increase in self-harm attempts via poisoning throughout the study period with a particularly vulnerable period in the adolescent age group.

Keywords: Adolescent; Intentional overdose; Pediatric; Psychiatry; Self-harm; Teenager; Toxicology; Young adult.