Kids in self-harm surprise

CHILDREN under four with mental health problems have turned up at the state’s emergency departments more than 2800 times in three years, distressing new Queensland Health data has revealed.

Between 2019 and 2021 there were 2881 presentations in pre-kindy aged kids with a diagnosis relating to mental health, self-harm, suicide ideation or disorientation.

“Parents have children on their hands that are so completely emotionally disregulated that they are at the end of their tether, desperate for help,” said Dr James Scott, a leading researcher into child mental health at QIMR Berghofer. “They worry the child will hurt themselves or hurt their friends.”

GP appointments were hard to get and there was nowhere else to go apart from the emergency department

“I’m not surprised by the numbers of presentations in this young age group but we need more data collection on what specific problems these vulnerable kids are facing. We need to know everything otherwise we don’t know what to do next to offer help,” the practising psychiatrist said.