The rate of deliberate self-harm among females in Waterford city increased two-fold last year.
The newly published annual report of the National Registry of Deliberate Self-Harm noted a 106 per cent increase on the rate of female self harm in the city, the highest such increase in the country (the Waterford rate increased from 166 per 100,000 in 2011 to 342 per 100,000 in 2012).
Nationally, the number of deliberate self harm presentations to Irish hospitals fell.
Overall, Waterford had the third highest rate in the country of male and female self-harm in 2012.
Drug overdose was the most common method of self-harm, particularly among women.
Minor tranquillisers and medicines containing paracetamol and anti-depressants or mood stabilisers were widely used. The number of patients who tried to hang themselves was at the highest yet.
Of those who presented to Waterford Regional Hospital for self-harm, far more were admitted to a general ward than to a dedicated psychiatric unit.
The report mainly attributed this to the availability of resources and services, though it also suggested that assessment and management procedures with respect to deliberate self-harm patients is likely to be variable and inconsistent across the country.
