More females than males self-harming in Northern Trust area

More females than males sought help, while 194 of those were aged under 18.

Alcohol played a part in just under half of those who self-harmed.

The Northern Trust caters for the Cookstown and Magherafelt areas among others.

A breakdown of the figures reveals that the number of people self-harming or attempting suicide locally is around 18% or just under a fifth of the Northern Ireland total.

Of the 2,064 males and females visiting hospitals in the Northern Trust, 1,1516 did so after self-harming incidents, while 548 had attempted suicide.

And, while there was an even balance of males and females overall across the five health trusts, females were marginally over-represented within the Northern Trust district, at 55%.

Despite the incidence of self-harming falling in the Southern and Western Trusts, the figure rose within the local Trust area.

Across Northern Ireland as a whole, self-harm presentations in 2013/14 continued to peak in the age band 20-24 followed by the 15-19 year age group.

The methods of self-harm remained largely similar last year compared to 2012/13, although there was an increase in the number of attempted drownings, from 72 to 91 representing a 26% increase in 2013/14.