The total number of teen poisoning cases in the UK - both intentional and unintentional - has risen sharply in the last two decades, a new study found. The rates were particularly high among teenage girls and young women.
The study found that the surge was strongly tied to social and economic issues. The ones living in the UK's poorest areas are more likely to poison themselves by as much as three times compared to those living in the least deprived areas.
The research team analyzed poisoning records from the UK Health Improvement Network database submitted from 1992 all the way to 2012. These anonymized data covered both intentional and unintentional poisoning incidents of more than 1.3 million people aged 10 to 17 years old. Within the time period, there were 17,862 teen poisoning cases recorded.
The study found that the total teen poisoning cases surged by 27 percent within the time period. Notably, the biggest surge in intentional poisoning was seen in teenage girls aged 16 to 17 years old, while for alcohol-related cases, the biggest increase was seen in teenage girls aged 15 to 16 years old. The research found that both rates nearly doubled within the time period.
"One potential explanation for the increase in alcohol poisonings over time is increased availability, with the relative affordability of alcohol in the UK increasing steadily between 1980 and 2012, licensing hours having increased since 2003, and numbers of outlets increasing alongside alcohol harm," wrote the researchers.
Moving forward, almost 64 percent of the teenage poisoning cases recorded from 2007 to 2012 were deemed intentional while only 4 percent were unintentional.
Around the globe, poisoning is a common cause of teenage death. Many of the cases are traced back to mental health issues as a majority are linked to self-harm.
"If we could be doing things differently in areas where rates are highest, we could bring it down to the rates of less deprived communities," said Dr. Edward Tyrell, who led the research team.
The study was published in the Injury Prevention journal on May 16. The authors suggested that the mental and social initiatives created for adolescents should focus on the most deprived communities. This can help lower the incidence of teen poisoning associated with health inequalities.
