National trends in hospital-treated self-harm events among middle-aged adults

To assess national trends in hospital-treated self-harm events focusing on adults aged 45-64years.

Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project data from 2001 (N=7,452,727) to 2011 (N=7,893,587) were used to assess national trends in hospital stays for suicide and self-inflicted injury among youth (0-24years), young adults (35-44years), middle-aged adults (45-64years) and older adults (≥65years).

Among middle-aged adults, hospital-treated self-harm events increased from 5.1 (2001) to 7.1 (2011) per 10,000 population (OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.2, 1.6). This increase was larger than corresponding changes among youth (5.2-4.9) (interaction P=.0003), young adults (10.0-10.6) (interaction P=.006) or older adults (2.2-2.4) (interaction P=.07). Among middle-aged adults, hospital-treated self-harm events per 100 hospital discharges significantly increased (OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.3, 1.6), but there was not a significant increase in self-harm discharges per 100 mental disorder discharges (OR=1.2, 95% CI=1.0, 1.4).

Between 2001 and 2011, there was a disproportionate national increase in hospital-treated self-harm events among middle-aged adults that mirrored national trends in suicide. Because the increase was largely accounted for by an overall increase in mental health hospitalizations of middle-aged adults, the rising rate of hospital-treated self-harm events may reflect broader population-based mental health challenges facing US middle-aged adults.