By WMAL.com
New data released last week by the Virginia Department of Health found that cases of self-harm were on the rise for children and teens in the Commonwealth following the COVID-19 pandemic. The study confirmed the fears of many who believe the pandemic lockdowns and closure of in-person learning would enhance the mental strain on the state’s children.
A survey of 203 doctors showed that 98 percent had seen an increase in anxiety among children and adolescents and 95 percent reported an increase in depression. Emergency room visits for suicidal thoughts, self-harm or suicide attempts more than doubled over a five-year period, accounting for six percent of all visits among 9 to 18-year-old Virginians in 2021, according to the report.
Key findings from this report include:
- Self-harm ED visits and nonfatal self-harm hospitalizations are increasing. No comparable increase in suicides among youth 9-18 years in Virginia.
- The majority of persons with self-harm ED visits (68%) and nonfatal self-harm hospitalizations (74%) among Virginia youth were female. However, the majority of deaths (71%) by suicide were among males.
- More than nine out of 10 nonfatal self-harm hospitalizations among youth were due to drug poisonings, compared to 7% of all youth suicides. Guns were the most common cause of youth suicide (51%).
- While the highest self-harm ED visit rate occurred in the Northwest region, the highest rate of self-harm hospitalizations and deaths by suicide occurred in the Central region.
- Young Virginians were hospitalized for self-harm-related injuries for 1,588 days with more than $13 million dollars in hospitalization costs in 2020.
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