An Offaly TD says that it is “deeply distressing to think that our very young girls are dealing with such unbearable levels of emotional and psychological stress that they feel they have to resort to self-harm, and at increasing levels” after new figures showed that self-harm rates for younger girls aged 10-14 continue to rise.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeil confirmed to Independent TD Carol Nolan that while the peak self-harm rate recorded for adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in 2021 decreased in 2022 and 2023, self-harm rates in younger female adolescents are continuing to rise.
The information was supplied in response to a parliamentary question Deputy Nolan had submitted where she had asked the minister to provide data on the number of self-harm presentations to hospital emergency departments from 2020 to date in 2025; and if her department continues to provide funding to maintain the National Self-Harm Registry Ireland, operated by the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF):
“It is deeply distressing to think that our very young girls are dealing with such unbearable levels of emotional and psychological stress that they feel they have to resort to self-harm, and at increasing levels. We all see the cruelty of social media. We all see the kind of artificial imagery and painful perfectionism that young girls are being exposed to as the ‘norm’ and we know that this is having devastating outcomes,” said Deputy Nolan.
“What is equally alarming to me is that we know that this is the tip of the iceberg. As the minister stated in her reply to me, the Registry records hospital presenting self-harm only, while self-harm which does not result in a hospital presentation is much harder to measure because of stigma and concealment.”
“I absolutely agree with the minister that this data highlights the need to continue to prioritise mental health supports and targeted interventions for young people and their parents. This is something I will continue to work toward achieving.”
“I would take issue however with the minister’s statement that self-harm rates did not increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. This certainly seems counterintuitive to me, and I would suggest to many others. The social conditions imposed by governments response to the pandemic clearly acted as a trigger for massive levels of anxiety and isolation among our young. I find it difficult to believe that this did not result in an increase in self-harm rates.”
“I will continue to do what I can to shine a spotlight on this important area,” Deputy Nolan said.
Minister Carroll MacNeil said that the National Suicide Research Foundation is an independent multi-disciplinary research unit which aims to provide a nationally and internationally recognised body of reliable knowledge on suicide and self-harm.
“The Irish NSRF has been a WHO Collaborating Centre for almost 10 years following initial designation in December 2015 and has provided technical advice to inform WHO’s work in establishing surveillance systems of self-harm and suicide,” she said.
“The Registry tells us how many self-harm presentations there are each year. It tells us which groups in the country make the most presentations, when the presentations happen, what type of self-harm is involved, and which areas have the highest rates. By providing this information, the Registry helps to inform the improvement of services for individuals who self-harm, and prevention efforts. It must also be noted that the Registry records hospital presenting self-harm only, self-harm which does not result in a hospital presentation is much harder to measure – much stigma remains around self-harm and it is often concealed.”
“Broadly speaking, self-harm rates are stable year on year, and there has been a decline in recent years. Recently published data from the National Suicide Research Foundation Self-Harm Registry highlights that between 2010 and 2023 self-harm rates decreased by 12%,” she added.
“While there is much more to be done, it is reassuring that the rate did not increase across 2022 and 2023, and we now know that self-harm rates did not increase during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
However, she acknowledged that while the peak self-harm rate recorded for adolescent girls aged 15-19 years in 2021 decreased in 2022 and 2023 – she confirmed that self-harm rates in younger female adolescents are continuing to rise.
The Minister said this highlighted the need to continue to prioritise mental health supports and targeted interventions for young people and their parents.
Her department provided a table showing out the number of self-harm presentations between 2020 and 2023 and noted data for 2024 and 2025 is not yet available.