Researchers call for supports, coping strategies as youth self-harm rises

A schoolyard in Montreal, Wednesday, October 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

TORONTO — A new Canadian study showing a steady increase in youth self-harm highlights the need for more mental health support and proactive teaching of coping strategies to deal with emotional anguish, researchers say.

The study, published Monday in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, examined research papers from 12 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, including Canada, that presented data for people aged 24 and younger between January 2000 and December 2024.

It found an average 3.5 per cent increase every year in self-injuries over that time period documented in hospital and doctor’s visits, with higher rates among girls than boys.

“There is a long and sustained trend in self-injury. So it’s not just a short-term blip, and it’s not just localized to a single jurisdiction, but it is happening everywhere, and it is happening at a large rate and scale,” said lead author Dr. Natasha Saunders, a pediatrician at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

“We have a large problem with children’s well-being. I mean, this is just the tip of the iceberg of the distress that young people are experiencing,” said Saunders, who is also a scientist at the SickKids Research Institute.

The data shows that rates of self-injury doubled over the 25-year time period, the study said, rising from about 10 medical visits for self-injury per 10,000 people in 2000 to about 20 visits per 10,000 people in recent years.

The study also shows that self-injury was on the rise even before the pandemic, which many experts say took an enormous toll on mental health

The researchers also looked at surveys of self-reported self-harm and found a 2.5 per cent increase every year.

Saunders said the study results reflect the growing numbers of kids and adolescents coming to the hospital with injuries from self-harm.

The study didn’t distinguish between self-harm with or without suicidal intent, but both are urgent issues that need attention, she said.

“We need to treat self-injury as its own public health priority, not just as a subset of suicide prevention,” she said.

‘Coping strategy’

The numbers in the study are likely an undercount of how much self-harm is really happening because stigma stops many people from seeking medical attention, said Stephen Lewis, a professor of psychology at the University of Guelph.

Self-harm is an “incredibly complex” issue, with different factors driving it in different people, he said.

Some of the many possible drivers include a history of trauma, bullying, cyberbullying or mental health issues, said Lewis, who is a co-founder of Self-injury Outreach and Support (SiOS), a website providing resources and support for people engaging in self-harm and people who want to help.

Lewis has recovered from his own experience harming himself when he was younger.

“(Self-harm) is used as a coping strategy to get at least temporary emotional relief from intense emotional pain and distress,” he said.

While many youth injure themselves to trade emotional pain for physical pain, others use it to express hatred against themselves or to combat feelings of emotional numbness, he said.

Others hurt themselves with suicidal intent, Lewis said, noting that even if someone is not suicidal, some research shows self-harm can be a risk factor for future suicide attempts.

“We have to take both very, very seriously, and we have to make sure that people who have a history of these behaviours have adequate supports in place,” he said.

Saunders said government funding of both community and school-based supports are needed to quickly help kids and youth who are self-injuring and ensure they’re not left languishing on long waiting lists for mental-health care.

Schools can also help in preventing self-injury by teaching emotional skills, she said.

“So emotion regulation, problem solving, help-seeking and coping as part of the health curriculum for young people,” Saunders said.

Lewis said stigma fosters myths around self-harm.

“People might view the behaviour as attention seeking, as manipulative,” he said.

“They may see someone who does it as crazy or weak or unhinged or other kinds of pejorative terms.”

Someone who is self-harming “may be aware of that public stigma, those negative views, and they internalize it,” Lewis said.

“They tell themselves that ‘there’s something wrong with me.’ And I think that’s a major issue, too, because that then maybe tells someone that ‘I can’t come forward, I can’t seek support, or I don’t deserve it.’”

Preparing parents

Parents have an important role to play in helping youth who are self-harming, both Saunders and Lewis said — but they have to make sure they’re ready to have the conversation with their child.

“Understandably, for a lot of parents, if they find out that their child is intentionally hurting themselves, that’s distressing,” Lewis said.

“Parents might also experience shame and even blame themselves for it because they feel responsible,” he said.

It’s important that parents get themselves into a mindset where they can stay calm and practice “active listening” — really hearing what their child is saying and let them finish what they need to say — which means resisting the natural tendency to want to immediately “jump in and solve the problem and fix everything,” he said.

Parents should also make sure they’re broaching the topic when there’s time to have a conversation, “so you’re not doing it on the way out in the morning to school or to work,” he said.

Saunders said a good way to start a conversation could be to say, “So I’m noticing these things. Can you help me understand what’s going on?”

One of the most important messages Lewis wants to give people who are self-harming is that there is help.

“It’s really important that people know that even if it feels that way, you’re not alone,” he said.

“There are other people who’ve been there and this is something you can certainly overcome.”

Where to get help

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you’re in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

Kids Help Phone is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1-800-668-6868; text 686868; or visit kidshelpphone.ca and click on “I need help now.”

Visit Self-injury Outreach and Support (SiOS) at sioutreach.org.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2026.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Nicole Ireland, The Canadian Press