Rising Concerns as Self-Harm Cases Increase in Jersey’s A&E

Public Health Jersey recently warned of a serious deterioration in the mental health of islanders. In adults, self-harm has risen every year since 2019. The worrisome trend of increased self-harm is pretty clear. Statistics from emergency departments (A&E) illustrate that more patients are coming to get treated than at any point in history.

Last year Jersey’s A&E department saw 550 visits for mental health crises. Of these, 245 cases were directly connected to self-harm. This is comparable to the all-time high attendances for self-harm, seen in both 2021 and 2024. In 2019 self-harm attendances reached an all-time low of 145. Yet, we are facing a deeply concerning reversal in these trends.

The situation is particularly alarming among adolescents. A recent survey found one in five Jersey 14 to 16-year-olds said they had thought about hurting themselves in the past 12 months. Additionally, 14% of this demographic confessed to having experienced self-harm. The data shows a clear connection between bullying and an increase in self-harm. Young people who experience bullying are twice as likely to self-harm, with 27% of young people self-reporting doing so.

Broadly, the toll of the mental health crisis goes well beyond self-harm. Yet prescription rates for antidepressants in Jersey have shot up by 22% in the last nine years. In kind, medications for insomnia and anxiety are up 23% over this same period. These trends indicate an increased dependence on pharmaceutical interventions as mental health issues worsen.