Girls age 10 to 19 living in rural B.C. communities with poor access to local mental health services are at the highest risk of intentionally poisoning themselves.
This is a key finding in a study led by researchers from the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU), recently published in the British Columbia Medical Journal. The study characterizes self-poisoning among 10- to 19-year-olds in B.C. between 2009 and 2017. Using hospital and census data as well as the locations of mental health services throughout the province, researchers found that self-poisoning rates were highest in rural areas with poorly distributed mental health services compared to urban regions.
Dr. Ian Pike, BC Children's Hospital investigator, director of the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, and professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia
“We need to ensure mental health supports are accessible across the province,”
says Dr. Ian Pike, BCIRPU director, professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of British Columbia, and investigator with BC Children’s Hospital.
The study found that 81 per cent of the children and youth who poisoned themselves were girls.
The most common reason for adolescent self-harm is the desire to relieve psychological pain. Given the recent increases in depression diagnoses and antidepressant prescriptions for
girls age 12 to 19, mental health and antidepressant accessibility may have contributed to increased self-poisoning rates among girls.
“Although antidepressants can increase young people’s risk of suicidal thoughts, the benefits of antidepressant treatment greatly outweigh the potential dangers,” says Dr. Pike. “Physicians should monitor young patients for signs of mental health concerns, closely monitor those who are prescribed antidepressants and discuss alternative coping strategies.”
Quick Facts:
Self-poisoning refers to purposely self-inflicted poisoning, including both attempted suicide and non-suicidal self-harm events.
Overdoses from all drugs (including illegal drugs) were included in the study, as long as the individual was purposely poisoning themselves. Unintentional drug overdoses were not included.
The most common substance used was non-opioid painkillers (e.g. acetaminophen and ibuprofen), while the second most common substance was medication for anxiety and depression.
Of the nearly 150 Grade 10-12 students who attended Mini Med School BC - Vancouver Island, 100 per cent said they'd recommend the daylong health science youth outreach and public education program to others.
National Child and Youth Mental Health Day is on Saturday, May 7. It’s a great opportunity to talk to children and youth about mental health challenges and disorders to reduce the stigma around mental health and get the conversation started.
This month’s Research Roundup covers the impact of mandatory Active Play Standards on childcare centres’ policies and practices in British Columbia, a positive and supportive way to increase health behaviours and maintain bone health in children, and how changing terminology can help support kids with neurodisability.
New robotic stem cell research technology funded by the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation will be a game changer for accelerating new treatment or cures for severe and rare childhood illnesses.
BC Children’s Hospital is part of a new cross-Canada network called the Pediatric Outcome Improvement through Coordination of Research Networks (POPCORN). The overall objective of POPCORN is to further understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare child health researchers and their networks for the next pandemic or public health issue of importance.
We believe there’s nothing we can’t do with your support. It can take years to turn scientific breakthrough into new interventions and treatments. Funding helps speed the pace of change. When given the resources, we can bring transformative therapies – and hope – out of the laboratory and into the clinic to save and improve children’s lives.
