Self-harm among teenagers is on the increase, a new study confirms and frighteningly it’s our younger girls that appear most at risk.

According to a population-based, UK study the annual incidence of self-harm increased by an incredible 68% between 2011 and 2014 among girls aged 13-16, from 46 per 10000 to 77 per 10000. The research, based on analysis of electronic health records from over 670 general practices, also found that girls were three times more likely to self-harm than boys among the almost 17,000 young people (aged 10-19 years) studied.