More than a quarter of young women and one in 10 of all adults in England have self-harmed, shocking NHS figures have suggested.
Both numbers are a dramatic rise from those recorded in 2000, when only about in 20 women aged 16-to-24 and one in 50 adults reported self-harming.
The survey—which measures the prevalence of mental health conditions in the adult population—also showed a harrowing increase in the proportion of people attempting to end their own life.
One in 100 people in England attempted suicide within the 12 months up to July last year, according to the report, the highest figure ever recorded.
This was equivalent to almost 4million people trying to end their life in a single year, charities estimated.
It also represents a dramatic increase from the one in 200 people in England who attempted suicide in the year 2000.
Overall, one fifth of all adults aged 16 to 74 had symptoms of a common mental health problem such as depression, anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
But this rose to about one in four among women and to one in three females aged under 24.
More than a quarter of young women and one in 10 of all adults in England have self-harmed, a shocking NHS report on the state of the nation’s mental health suggests. Stock image
In contrast, 17 per cent of men reported these mental health issues—a rise on previous years.
Mental health charities said the report laid bare the shocking state of England’s psychiatric state.
Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of Mind, said: ‘The nation’s mental health is deteriorating, and our current system is overwhelmed, underfunded, and unequal to the scale of the challenge.
She said given ‘trauma’ of the Covid pandemic and stress of the cost-of-living crisis had likely been driving mental health problems among the public.
But Dr Hughes said despite the crisis, too many patients suffering with mental health woes were waiting too long for help.
‘It is unacceptable that services still aren’t meeting people’s needs,’ she said.
‘Waiting lists remain long, and care is patchy, and many are left to struggle alone while they wait for support.’
She also hit out at the prospect of reforming the benefits system touted by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a bid to save the Government £5billion.
This ONS graph shows the suicide rate per 100,000 for men (light blue), women (dark blue), and the combined population (blue) over time
‘Removing that safety net will only worsen people’s mental health and push them further from employment, not closer,’ she said.
Samaritans called the findings of the NHS survey distressing and urged for further investment in suicide prevention.
Jacqui Morrissey, assistant director of influencing at the charity, said: ‘The worrying rise in self-harm, suicidal thoughts and attempts compared to 10 years ago demands urgent action.
‘With a quarter of adults now experiencing suicidal thoughts in their lifetime, one in 10 people self-harming and the sobering estimate that 3.6million people in the country have attempted suicide, investment in suicide prevention is non-negotiable.’
‘The Government has talked about moving healthcare closer to the community and shifting from treatment to prevention.
‘However, there is currently no dedicated government funding for national or local suicide prevention, nor any crucial voluntary sector funding from them to help charities like ours who answer a call for help every 10 seconds.’
Rebecca Gray, mental health director at the NHS Confederation, said the figures ‘paint a deeply worrying but sadly unsurprising picture’.
‘The increased prevalence of self-harm is also very concerning and indicates the importance of being able to use data across services at a population level to be able to target services earlier, for example at young people who have experience of the care system.’
The Department of Health and Social Care was contacted for comment.
The NHS’s Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing is based on interviews and assessments with some 6,000 Britons.
Official ONS data recorded just over 6,000 suicides recorded in England and Wales in 2023, the most recent figures available.
Men were at far higher risk of taking their own life than women, accounting for about three quarters of the total figure.
UK: For help and support, call the Samaritans for free from a UK phone, completely anonymously, on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org.
US: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.
