Last year, a total of 566 youth required care as a result of self-harm, up from 400 eight years ago. According to TAI Health Statistics Department director Jane Idavain, self-harm can come in many different forms, with some more common than others.

"Generally speaking, more girls engage in self-harm than boys; depending on the method, the difference can be sixfold," she noted. In one case, this meant a difference of 200 girls to 35-40 boys a year.

Estonian School Student Councils' Union chair Ats Mattias Tamm, a high school senior, said that he has heard of self-harm within his social circle.

"There definitely have been [cases of it], and what's possibly a bigger problem is the fact that I don't even know if maybe someone I know is engaging in self-harm," Tamm acknowledged. "Because I think people often hide these kinds of things, because it's just awkward to talk about things like this."

As to the factors behind it, the student councils' union chief noted that there are as many reasons for engaging in self-harm as there are youth.

"In the school context, problems with school bullying can certainly be an issue," Tamm said. "While the overall number of school bullying cases is going down, the number of cases of cyberbullying is going up in spite of that. On the other hand, it could also have to do with smart devices. Young people often feel lonely."

Reigo Reppo, director of the Mental Health Center for Children and Adolescents at Tartu University Hospital (TÜK), acknowledged that he sees the worsening of this situation in his work each day as well. He believes that the causes for it are a reflection of what's going on in society.

"Self-harm is a remarkably serious issue," Reppo said. "Young people's emotional self-regulation skills have worsened. I think one reason is that the pace of life in society has risen substantially, meaning that everything is expected to get done quickly and efficiently, but that doesn't leave any time for working through things, for thinking things through, leading to the feeling that 'if I can't handle something immediately now, then I'm a failure.'"

Self-harm, then, is in a sense a rapid response, he noted, adding, "As young folks say themselves sometimes – that the physical pain helps hide the emotional pain."

The mental health center chief noted that signs a youth may be engaging in self-harm could include a sudden desire to wear long-sleeved clothing even in warm weather, especially sudden mood swings, withdrawal as well as engaging in risky behavior, including in traffic.

He urged anyone with concerns or questions to talk to their doctor.

Help and support are available

If you find yourself in crisis, are experiencing suicidal thoughts or are otherwise struggling, help is available — including by phone, by text and online.

In Estonia, you can call the Eluliin emotional support hotline between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. at +372 655 8088 (Estonian) or +372 655 5688 (Russian); the on-call doctor at Tartu Psychiatric Hospital at +372 731 8764 (24 hours); or the on-call doctor at Tallinn Psychiatric Hospital at +372 617 2650 (24 hours). Ohvriabi also offers a 24-hour victim support crisis hotline at 116 006 (Estonian, English, Russian).

In the United States, you can contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline online or by calling 988; or the Crisis Text Line online, on WhatsApp or by texting HOME to 741741. In Canada, you can contact Crisis Services Canada online or by calling 988. In the U.K., you can text SHOUT to 85258; or contact the Samaritans online or by calling 116 123. In Finland, you can contact MIELI Mental Health Finland online or by calling 09 2525 0116.

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call emergency services at 112 (Estonia, EU), 911 (U.S., Canada) or 999 (U.K.).

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