5 percent of U.S. adolescents report non suicidal self injury in the past year. Lifetime rates reach 29 percent among college students. Repeat emergency department visits for self harm occur in 17 percent of cases within 30 days.
Key Takeaways
- 15.6% of U.S. adults (about 1 in 6) reported experiencing serious psychological distress in the past 30 days in 2022
- 0.5% of U.S. adults reported attempting suicide in the past year (2019–2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
- 29% of U.S. college students in a 2016–2017 survey reported lifetime NSSI (self-reported by U.S. students)
- 70% of people who self-injure in ED presentations report at least one prior episode of self-harm in a 2018 review
- 3.2 million people in the U.S. receive mental health treatment annually (SAMHSA 2022) for serious mental illness, representing the treatment context in which self-injury risk occurs
- 1.1% of U.S. ED visits involved self-harm or suicide attempt among youth ages 12–17 (2018 national ED data analysis)
- 8.0% of U.S. adults reported past-year misuse of prescription opioids (2022 NSDUH national estimates)
- 31% of individuals with NSSI reported having experienced childhood maltreatment (pooled estimate in a meta-analysis, 2019)
- 23.2% of people with borderline personality disorder reported a history of sexual trauma (systematic review meta-analysis, 2020)
- In a meta-analysis of self-harm predictors, depression had an effect size (Hedges g) of 0.55 for association with self-harm (2018)
- 1 in 4 (25%) of people who self-injure report that they do so to relieve negative feelings (systematic review synthesis, 2017)
- 18% of individuals who self-injure report intending to die (proportion reported in meta-analysis of NSSI vs suicide intent, 2019)
About 1 in 6 people in the US report serious distress, and self harm affects many youth and ED patients.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence10 stats
01
15.6% of U.S. adults (about 1 in 6) reported experiencing serious psychological distress in the past 30 days in 2022
02
0.5% of U.S. adults reported attempting suicide in the past year (2019–2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
03
29% of U.S. college students in a 2016–2017 survey reported lifetime NSSI (self-reported by U.S. students)
04
17.2% lifetime prevalence of NSSI among adolescents and young adults reported in a 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis
05
NSSI is reported by 14.1% of adolescents in a 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis (global estimate)
06
3.7% of adolescents in the U.S. reported engaging in NSSI one or more times in their lifetime (2017–2019 national estimates reported in a study using Youth Risk Behavior Survey)
07
5.0% of adolescents reported NSSI in the past year in the 2022 Youth Risk Behavior Survey supplemental analyses
08
31% of people with borderline personality disorder reported engaging in NSSI in the past year (clinical literature estimate reported in a review)
09
42% of young people who die by suicide had a history of self-harm/self-injury, according to a 2019 national registry cohort study (Scotland)
10
42.3% of adolescents reported at least one adverse event associated with self-harm risk in a 2020 population study (self-reported survey)
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
Across prevalence measures, NSSI and self-injury are far from rare, with about 29% of U.S. college students reporting lifetime NSSI and around 5% of U.S. adolescents reporting it in the past year, showing that these behaviors are consistently present rather than exceptional.
02 · Category
Healthcare Utilization12 stats
01
70% of people who self-injure in ED presentations report at least one prior episode of self-harm in a 2018 review
02
3.2 million people in the U.S. receive mental health treatment annually (SAMHSA 2022) for serious mental illness, representing the treatment context in which self-injury risk occurs
03
1.1% of U.S. ED visits involved self-harm or suicide attempt among youth ages 12–17 (2018 national ED data analysis)
04
17.3% of U.S. ED visits for self-harm involved repeat presentations within 30 days (2015–2019 claims analysis)
05
32% of patients discharged from ED after self-harm re-presented within 12 months in a UK registry analysis (2014–2016)
06
45% of individuals presenting to emergency services for self-harm had received mental health treatment in the previous 12 months (systematic review estimate)
07
59% of U.S. adults with any mental illness received treatment in the past year (NSDUH 2022)
08
14.7% of U.S. adults had a mental health emergency department visit in 2021 (CDC/NCHS ED mental health visit estimates)
09
1 in 6 ED visits for mental health conditions among U.S. adolescents involved self-harm-related diagnoses (2019 national hospitalization estimates)
10
22% of self-harm presentations resulted in psychiatric admission in a 2020 European registry study
11
35% of patients discharged after self-harm did not receive a follow-up appointment within 7 days (systematic review, 2017)
12
70% of patients who engage in NSSI report urges to self-injure lasting minutes to hours (review estimate)
Interpretation
Healthcare Utilization Interpretation
Across healthcare utilization data, repeat engagement is a major pattern, with 17.3% of U.S. emergency department visits for self-harm involving repeat presentations within 30 days and 32% of discharged patients re-presenting within 12 months in a UK registry, highlighting how self-injury often drives ongoing follow-up needs rather than one-time care episodes.
More related reading
03 · Category
Drivers And Risk6 stats
01
8.0% of U.S. adults reported past-year misuse of prescription opioids (2022 NSDUH national estimates)
02
31% of individuals with NSSI reported having experienced childhood maltreatment (pooled estimate in a meta-analysis, 2019)
03
23.2% of people with borderline personality disorder reported a history of sexual trauma (systematic review meta-analysis, 2020)
04
Odds of NSSI were 2.4x higher among adolescents with bullying victimization compared with non-victims (meta-analysis, 2019)
05
A 2021 systematic review found that around 15% of people who self-harm were intoxicated at the time of presentation (pooled prevalence)
06
3.1% of U.S. adults had co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness (SAMHSA 2022; impacts self-injury risk context)
Interpretation
Drivers And Risk Interpretation
For the Drivers And Risk category, the data suggest self-injury risk is tightly linked to substance and trauma exposure, with 8.0% of U.S. adults misusing prescription opioids and bullying victimization raising NSSI odds 2.4 times, while childhood maltreatment appears in 31% of people with NSSI and sexual trauma affects 23.2% of those with borderline personality disorder.
04 · Category
Clinical Outcomes14 stats
01
In a meta-analysis of self-harm predictors, depression had an effect size (Hedges g) of 0.55 for association with self-harm (2018)
02
1 in 4 (25%) of people who self-injure report that they do so to relieve negative feelings (systematic review synthesis, 2017)
03
18% of individuals who self-injure report intending to die (proportion reported in meta-analysis of NSSI vs suicide intent, 2019)
04
24% of adolescents with NSSI reported future suicide attempts within 12 months (longitudinal study meta-analysis, 2020)
05
6.6% suicide mortality within 10 years among people who presented with self-harm (population cohort estimate, England/Wales, 2000–2010)
06
Approximately 20% of people who self-harm repeat self-harm within 1 year (review estimate, 2018)
07
1 in 3 (33%) individuals who self-harm repeat within 2 years (systematic review estimate)
08
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) showed a reduction in self-harm frequency compared with control with a standardized mean difference of -0.60 in a 2018 meta-analysis
09
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based interventions reduced self-harm behaviors with a risk ratio of 0.76 (meta-analysis, 2019)
10
Mentalization-based treatment reduced self-harm rates by 27% versus control in a randomized controlled trial (2017 follow-up results)
11
After participation in a safety planning intervention, follow-up odds of self-harm decreased by 38% compared with usual care in an RCT meta-analysis (2020)
12
Self-harm in hospital is associated with a 2.3x higher risk of later suicide compared with non-self-harm patients (meta-analysis, 2017)
13
A 2019 study found that 12% of people who self-harmed experienced injuries requiring surgical intervention (ED/clinical records cohort)
14
A 2020 systematic review reported that psychosocial interventions for self-harm reduced emergency department re-attendance with a pooled odds ratio of 0.66
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
Clinical outcomes data show that self-injury is linked to substantial near and longer-term risk, including about 20% repeating within 1 year and roughly 6.6% dying by suicide within 10 years, while evidence-based interventions like CBT and safety planning show meaningful reductions in re-attendance and follow-up self-harm.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Self Injury Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/self-injury-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Self Injury Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/self-injury-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Self Injury Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/self-injury-statistics.
Sources & references
42 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+32 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)