Clinical characteristics and prevalence of adolescent self-harm before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic:...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.