Researchers to study school records for clues on suicide and self-harm

an article by Haroon Siddique published in the Guardian

Project aims to identify risk factors by comparing school and health records, paving the way for early intervention


School pupils in a playground. There were 98 suicides among 10- to 14-year-olds in the UK between 2005 to 2014. Photograph: Vesa Moilanen/Rex Features

Researchers are embarking on an ambitious project to see whether a child’s school record can provide vital clues as to whether they are at risk of suicide or self-harm.

Nearly one in 10 young people self-harm or have suicidal thoughts but understanding of the causes is limited, making prevention difficult.

By analysing anonymised school data for 180,000 10- to 17-year-olds in south London, including on attendance and performance, and linking it to their health and hospital records, researchers hope to identify the most important risk factors, paving the way for early intervention.

The lead researcher, Rina Dutta, a senior clinical lecturer in the psychological medicine department at King’s College London, said young people felt under more pressure than in the past, which had led to self-harm becoming almost normalised.

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I must be cynical. It is all very well identifying the young people at risk but who is available to support them through their trauma?

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