In the first study of its kind, Australian researchers followed about 2000 Victorian students from age 15 to see how many self-harmed during adolescence and into their 20s. They found self-harm was most common among 15-year-olds, particularly girls and teenagers with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
But most teens who deliberately hurt themselves in various ways stopped by the time they hit adulthood. The researchers believe the reasons for self-harm - one of the strongest predictors of suicide - are linked to the struggle some teens have in dealing with emotional problems. "Most of the self-harm was not about attempting suicide," lead researcher Prof George Patton said, ahead of the study's publication in the latest edition of The Lancet.
"Rather, it was an attempt to deal with emotions that the individual felt were overwhelming. "But most of it is a phase and they move on to different strategies of dealing with these emotions."The group of young people involved in the study, run by Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute and King's College in London, were asked at regular intervals between 1992 and 2008 about whether they self-harmed. Eight per cent, or one in 12, reported self-harm from age 13 to 19, with 10 per cent of girls and 6 per cent of boys deliberately hurting themselves at least once.
Self-cutting or burning were the most common forms of self-harm, followed by overdosing/poisoning, hitting themselves and indulging in risky behaviour. Adolescents who were depressed or anxious were four times more likely to self-harm than those without those conditions. Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes or cannabis and indulging in antisocial behaviour all doubled the risk.
But only 10 per cent still self-harmed in their 20s. Prof Patton said the hormonal changes teens underwent and the way their brain developed around puberty could affect how they dealt with emotions. Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.