Alarming Irish Study Finds That Almost 25% Of Teenage Girls Self-Harm

Over 6,000 17-18 year-olds have been participating in the ESRI's Growing Up In Ireland study since 2007 and recent reports from interviews carried out with the participants highlight the fact that 17% of them have 'hurt themselves on purpose' at one point or another.

11% of those interviewed have done so in the past year, with self-harming more prevalent among girls. 23% of the girls which took part in the study have self-harmed, compared with 10% of boys.

The report also found that 10% of the participants have been formerly diagnosed with depression, anxiety or both by a medical professional.  The add:

'Young people who had emotional or behavioural difficulties at 9 or 13 years were at greater risk of experiencing similar difficulties as young adults.'

Elsewhere, the report threw up some interesting findings with regard to the health issues of the teenagers interviewed. It found that 20% were overweight and 8% were obese. Most interestingly, 4% of those whose mother had a degree were obese compared with 14% of those whose mothers left school at Junior Certificate or earlier.

You can read the full report here.