Trends in suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts and self-harm in England

Abstract Background Many countries have experienced increases in the number of people attending health care services after self-harm. The prevalence of self-harm in the community, which includes people who do not contact health services, is greater. This means population-based surveys are essential to understanding the prevalence and distribution of self-harm. This presentation extends analyses of temporal trends in self-harm in England, last assessed in 2014, to include the most recent wave of survey data. Methods We analysed data from participants in the 2000 (n = 7243), 2007 (n = 6444), 2014 (n = 6477) and 2023/4 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Surveys of the general population, selecting those aged 16-74 years and living in England. We used weighted data and controlled for complex survey design. We generated temporal trends in lifetime prevalence of suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, non-suicidal self-harm, and consequent service contact. Results Data from APMS 2023/4 will be presented but are under strict embargo until the government survey report is released July 2025. The earlier analysis showed that the prevalence of self-reported lifetime self-harm increased from 2·4% (95% CI 2·0-2·8) in 2000, to 6·4% (5·8-7·2) in 2014. Increases in prevalence were noted in both men and women and across age groups-most notably in women and girls aged 16-24 years, in whom prevalence increased from 6·5% (4·2-10·0) in 2000, to 19·7% (15·7-24·5) in 2014. Conclusions There are potential lifelong implications of self-harm, such as an increased frequency of suicide, especially if the behaviours are adopted as a long-term coping strategy. Self-harm needs to be discussed without normalising it. People should be offered help by primary care, educational, and other services to find safer ways to deal with emotional stress.