Clinical characteristics and prevalence of adolescent self-harm before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: retrospective cross-sectional database study.

Abstract

Background: Evidence indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in self-harm among adolescents; however, little is known about the trends in prevalence after the end of the pandemic.

Aims: This retrospective cross-sectional database study evaluates changes in the prevalence and clinical characteristics of self-harm among adolescents who sought attention from the emergency service of the largest children's psychiatric hospital in Mexico before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: After comparing the clinical characteristics of self-harm between the three periods, we calculated the monthly prevalence of self-harm among patients (n = 3520) visiting the hospital's emergency psychiatric services over a period of 58 months. Using joinpoint regression, we evaluated temporal trends in self-harm prevalence.

Results: Affective disorders and hitting as a method of self-harm were more frequent during and after the pandemic in comparison with the pre-pandemic period. The prevalence of self-harm diminished from March 2019 to March 2023, a trend followed by an increase coinciding with the end of the pandemic and the return to normal activities.

Conclusions: The significant increase in prevalence observed after the end of the pandemic suggests a long-term impact on mental health of adolescents. This underscores the need for monitoring this population during post-pandemic years to provide timely interventions.