Better care and better outcomes for youth experiencing self-harm

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australian youth aged 12-24 years. Suicidality (e.g., self-harm or self-injury) is more common, leading to increasing presentations to Emergency Departments (ED). Repeated self-harm is associated with elevated risk of future suicide attempts. Whilst mental health (MH) support to improve coping skills and self-efficacy during acute clinical care is recommended, under the pressure of 4-hour emergency care benchmark it is not commonly integrated as a standard initiative in EDs when treating youth with self-harm behaviours.