New Report on Kids and Mental Health in Virginia
Self-harm is rising among Virginia’s youth, and emergency department visits for kids in mental health crisis has risen, too.
In a new report from the Virginia Department of Health, Self-Harm and Suicide Among Virginia Youth Aged 9-18 Years, 2015-2021, researchers examined self-harm and suicide among youth aged 9-18 years in Virginia using data from 2016-2021 for emergency department (ED) visits, 2016-2020 for nonfatal inpatient hospitalizations, and 2015-2021 for deaths by suicide.
Key findings from the report include:
Self-harm ED visits and nonfatal self-harm hospitalizations are increasing. No comparable increase in suicides among youth 9-18 years in Virginia.
The majority of persons with self-harm ED visits (68%) and nonfatal self-harm hospitalizations (74%) among Virginia youth were female. However, the majority of deaths (71%) by suicide were among males.
More than nine out of 10 nonfatal self-harm hospitalizations among youth were due to drug poisonings, compared to 7% of all youth suicides. Guns were the most common cause of youth suicide (51%).
While the highest self-harm ED visit rate occurred in the Northwest region, the highest rate of self-harm hospitalizations and deaths by suicide occurred in the Central region.
Young Virginians were hospitalized for self-harm-related injuries for 1,588 days with more than $13 million dollars in hospitalization costs in 2020.
Read more on the report in the Virginia Mercury.
You can also access the reports on the VDH website.
