Lib Dems reveal extent of self harming in Scotland
January 24, 2010 10:33 AM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats
Ross Finnie
The Liberal Democrats have revealed that over the last ten years, over 7,000 children have been admitted to hospital after self harming.
The figures, obtained using Parliamentary Questions, also showed that over 160,000 over 16s were admitted to hospital for intentional self harm since 1999.
Commenting, Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Ross Finnie said:
"Our figures show an astonishing number of people have been hospitalised after self-harming over the last decade. That so many people have self harmed to such an extent that hospital treatment was required, is a desperate cry for help and Ministers must respond.
"Over the last ten years, mental health support has increasingly been provided in the community. But an Audit Scotland report published last year warned that there are long waits to access certain services, particularly services for younger and older people, and there is a lack of out-of-hours and crisis services in some areas. This was backed up by a more recent report into child and adolescent mental health which warned about the prevalence of self-harm and the lack of systematic support.
"Given our figures show that over 7,000 young people were forced to seek hospital treatment after self-harming, the long waits for youth-specific services are extremely concerning.
"Audit Scotland also found that the way that money was distributed in the health service did not reflect the shift from hospital care to community care. This needs to change to make sure that those who at risk of self-harming are identified and helped in their community before they end up in hospital.
"The Health Secretary needs to act on these figures and address the concerns about mental health services outlined by Audit Scotland."
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