Figures carried on the Liberal Democrat’s national website reveal some quite shocking statistics. Over 70,000 young people have been admitted to hospital for self-harm related injuries in the last four years, an increase of 35%; 4,000 have been admitted for eating disorders, which represents an increase of 10%.

Defining self-harm can be problematic. I have seen websites which define it broadly enough to include smoking and the use of narcotics. A broad definition is not helpful because there are clear differences.

For example, a smoker or a drug addict will become chemically addicted to their particular vice (although they may be psychologically addicted too), whereas a ‘cutter’ is purely psychologically addicted. Nicotine and narcotics induce a bio-chemical response from the introduction of another chemical (and it is pleasurable, not intentionally painful – pain is an unintentional consequence) whereas cutting induces a neurological response from the act of inflicting pain.

Although a smoker or drug user is generally aware of the potential side-effects, they are not seeking to harm themselves directly. They do what they do despite the risks, not to actively induce the conditions that may result from their habit.

We can be pretty sure these figures are very much the tip of the iceberg because they only show actual admission figures. Self-harmers are often very adept at concealing their habit, as are those with eating disorders, and rarely seek help unless they tip over some kind of crisis point. Often there is a huge social stigma around seeking help which is not made any easier by the fact that those that do risk being branded as attention seekers.

The attention seeking myth is perhaps the most pernicious. Self-harmers demonstrate completely opposite patterns of behaviour to attention seekers. In general, they do everything possible to draw attention away from their habit and are deeply ashamed of it and themselves for doing it; so the last thing they will do is seek the limelight.

Causes and reasons for doing it vary. In general they are particular to a specific individual which is something that of course makes the problem hard to tackle. It can also be a symptom of wider problems which need to be addressed before the cycle of self-abuse can be broken. Breaking that cycle is as hard as it is to break any other addiction, and it is something that requires a strong support network. However, realistically, there is little on offer from government provided services. A survey by the Liberal Democrats found that the average longest waiting time for treatment for eating disorders is 203 days, with some having to wait 720 days.

Similarly, self-harmers face a wait of months unless their condition happens to land them in hospital though either accidental or deliberate escalation. In the meantime, they are heavily reliant on the support of those close to them (who may not even know), or voluntary networks like The National Self Harm Network, which offer advice and forums where self-harmers can talk to volunteers or other people who self-harm.

Of course, this is reliant on them finding such services in the first place and offers us a classic example of governmental failure to address a serious problem which only escalates the longer it is left unattended.

Educational and health services have a vital role to play in addressing this problem which is too often sidelined due to already pressing demands on resources. Widespread awareness of the importance of dealing with emotional and mental health issues is not being translated into governmental action; nor is it translating into increased resources to services being improved for young people the stage at which this problem needs to be addressed.

It is likely to become more prevalent as those that have ‘slipped through the net’ manifest more serious problems in later life. It is not an issue that can be swept under the carpet.