Hospital emergencies involving children aged 14-15 show a “high frequency” of intoxication and psychiatric issues, including intentional overdoses and deliberate self-harm, a new study shows.
Paediatricians at University Hospital Limerick looked at presentations to the emergency department during 2017.
They examined a total of 1,363 presentations of patients aged 14-15 years and found that trauma — such as limb and head injury — was the most common reason for attending, accounting for 45% of all cases.
However, the team of paediatricians said there was a “high frequency in the number of mental health/ intoxication/self-harm presentations”. There were 51 psychiatric cases and a further 39 presentations involving either intentional overdose or intoxication.
A breakdown of the psychiatric presentations shows 18 cases of deliberate self-harm (DSH) and 11 incidents of suicidal ideation.
Source: Cormac O'Keeffe, The Irish Examiner, 25/03/19
Safer Student Nights
eBulletin
Poll
