Children as young as 7 are self-harming

The number of cases has risen by a third in Glasgow, doubled in Lanarkshire and tripled in Ayrshire since 2010.

Mental health charities have warned that the statistics obtained by the Evening Times following a Freedom of Information request are only the tip of the iceberg.

Many children who self-harm will cut their arms and legs or intentionally burn their skin because they think it will give them an emotional release

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde revealed that the number of cases has risen 32%, from 55 in 2010 to 73 last year, and the youngest person treated for self-inflicted injuries was only seven-years-old.

Lanarkshire's health board would not reveal ages of those treated but said their figures had almost doubled, from 63 in 2010 to 122 in 2014.

The statistics were even starker in Ayrshire where the health board recorded a 144% increase, from 9 in 2010 to 22 in 2014.

Charity ChildLine Scotland said the figures mirror the data they have collected which shows an increase of 166% in cases since 2009.

The number of self-harm counselling sessions with 12 to 15-year-olds also rose by 20% in the last year.

ChildLine services manager Susan Dobson said it is "a growing area of concern".

"The reasons young children turn to these measures can be very personal. It can be linked to problems at home, at school or because children are being abused," she added. "In many cases the children are so desperate and in such distress they can see no way out."

Scottish mental health charity Penumbra has also reported an increase in the number of children who self-harm.

Chief Executive Nigel Henderson said: "Penumbra provides a number of services across Scotland to support people who self-harm and all of our services have reported an increase in referrals in recent years.

"Greater awareness of the support that is available and better NHS recording methods might explain the rise reported by NHS boards in the west of Scotland.

"However, these figures likely represent only a small percentage of the total number of young people in the area who self-harm as many young people only seek help in extreme circumstances."

Some children who self-harm will suffer in silence because they fear they'll be stigmatised, according to Judith Robertson of charity See Me.

She said: "The causes of self-harm in young people are complex and young people who do self-harm need to be given proper support and care and treatment. Where this is not happening more needs to be done.

"Sometimes the fear of being judged or stigmatised can prevent young people asking for help. A lack of understanding of the causes of self-harm can also mean that young people don't get the help they need exposing them to greater risks."

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw suggested earlier intervention could reduce the number of children self-harming.

"These figures make for worrying reading and are of great concern. It's a sad state of affairs to see marked increases in the numbers," he said.

"We are calling for health visiting in Scotland to come back under the control of GPs, and to be extended to youngsters up to the age of seven, that way many of these problems can be spotted and prevented at a young age."

A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said they offer a "nu€Žrse-led service" for children who are treated for self-harm, as well as cognitive behavioural therapy and "safety plans" for those at risk.

NHS Lanarkshire's spokesman said the health board has a primary mental health team and youth counselling service which supports schools to identify children "at the earliest stage of any distressing episode they are experiencing".

Iona Colvin, Director of the North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership, said NHS Ayrshire and Arran has worked with charities to provide leaflets for parents and children and come up with "guidance for people working with children at risk of self-harm".

If you're a young person who needs someone to talk to, contact ChildLine free and in confidence on 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk.

Case Study: 'I'd so much mental pain inside'

SUSAN, from Glasgow, began self-harming when she was only 11-years-old.
“It was a very conscious decision,” she said.
“I had so much mental pain building up inside of me. It felt as though I was in agony. I decided that physically hurting myself had to alleviate it.
“During my teenage years I was on self-destruct and looking for any way to destroy myself.
“I self-harmed, I stopped eating, over-exercised, tried alcohol and drugs.
“I was diagnosed with so many different labels as people tried to work out what was wrong with me and why I couldn’t function like a normal human being.
“I would do anything I could do to take away the mental anguish inside my head, to help me forget that I hated myself.”
Susan is now in her 20s and continues to battle against the urge to self-harm.
She said: “If I could go back to that moment when I was 11 and tell myself not to do it, I would.
“The urge to do it is something that I constantly fight now.
“The problem is that your brain makes the connection at a young age that if something bad happens to you, hurting yourself helps take away that pain. It’s difficult to break the cycle.
“I’m not out of the woods yet, but the urge to do it is much easier to fight and ignore.
“These days, instead of doing it every day as I did at the peak of my self-harming, I will go months without feeling the desire to hurt myself.”
Susan said young people who are thinking of self-harming should seek support and be
honest about their feelings.
She said: “Accepting I had a problem, and admitting it to people wasn’t easy, but
completely changed things.”