THE CONVERSATION: Teen self-harm: rates have dramatically decreased in Denmark – here’s what other countries can learn

Description

Concern has been growing over rising rates of self-harm in teenagers. In the UK and Ireland, increases began around the time of the 2008 economic crash and show no sign of slowing. One study of the UK found rates among teenage girls rose by two-thirds between 2011 and 2014.

But some surprising new findings suggest that stress caused by recession and financial uncertainty does not necessarily lead to rises in suicidal behaviour. My colleagues and I examined rates of teenagers treated in hospital for self-harm in Denmark. Contrary to expectations, we found that rates of self-harm in Danish teenagers actually fell between 2008 and 2016. Although Denmark experienced an economic recession, why didn’t rates of self-harm among teenagers see a similar spike as in other countries?