The number of teenage girls being admitted to hospital in England after self-harming has nearly doubled compared with 20 years ago NHS figures suggest.
Last year, the figure was 13,463 compared to 7,327 in 1997. In comparison, the number of boys admitted to hospital for self-harm rose from 2,236 in 1997 to 2,332 in 2017.
Another worrying statistic is the number of young women being treated for attempted overdoses has risen to 2,736, it was 249 in 1997. The number of teenage boys has also increased, from 152 to 839.
Well-being charities have warned that this rise is due to the pressures of schoolwork and social media. The NSPCC revealed it provided 15,376 counselling sessions to victims of self-harm last year.
These latest figures have been disclosed by the health department as part of a written response to a question on how many teenagers had been admitted to hospital because of self-harm and self-poisoning.
