(UK) Schools record 70,000 cases of self-harm; more than double 2012 numbers

June 9, 2018, UK Times: Schools buckle under 70,000 self-harm cases https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/schools-buckle-under-70-000-self-harm-cases-nbfxpg5h7 Schools are struggling to cope with a surge in self-harm among children, with more than 70,000 incidents in secondaries last year, research by The Times suggests. The number of incidents recorded by schools has more than doubled since 2012, according to figures obtained through freedom of information requests. School nurses are dealing with panic attacks, self-cutting, overdoses and eating disorders rather than the nose bleeds and minor accidents of a decade ago. Head teachers voiced frustration at a lack of mental health support. Some found it impossible to get specialist help from child and adolescent mental health services, and those with on-site counsellors said that they were overwhelmed. Many pupils’ needs were too complex for the school but not “serious” enough to trigger specialist health support. Theresa May promised last year that every secondary school in England would receive free mental health first-aid training by 2020, and Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said in December that £300 million would be spent on overhauling mental health support in schools from next year…. However, experts doubt that such measures will be adequate…. Sarah-Jane Durman, 58, has worked as a nurse at a south London school for 15 years. She said: “When I started I was dealing with lots of period pain, vomiting, nose bleeds, minor accidents, but now spend my life dealing with emotional problems, panic attacks, self-harm etc. Over the last five years it [mental health problems] has snowballed: children arriving from primary school known to mental health services, or hearing voices telling them to self-harm.”…