Suicide attempts, self-harm: "massive increase" in hospitalizations of adolescent girls and young women

While mental health is a major national issue in 2025 , hospitalizations of adolescent girls and young women for suicide attempts or self-harm increased massively last year in France, particularly among 10-14 year-olds, according to figures published Wednesday.

Nearly 82,000 people aged 10 or over were hospitalized at least once for a self-inflicted act last year, a 6% increase compared to 2023, and nearly two-thirds of them (64%) were women, according to the statistical service of the social ministries (Drees).

This covers the number of suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-mutilation (scarifications, burns, hitting a wall, etc.) but does not include visits to the emergency room without hospitalization, nor hospitalizations in psychiatry, follow-up care or at home.

Although the number of hospitalized patients varied little from 2013 to 2019, before falling sharply in 2020, it "has been increasing continuously since then," indicates the Drees, which relies on data from the national health data system (SNDS).

France is experiencing a "massive" increase in hospitalizations of adolescent girls and young women for suicide attempts or self-harm, she notes. Among "very young girls aged 10 to 14," they jumped by 22% between 2023 and 2024, and by 14% among 15- to 19-year-olds. The number of older patients also increased: by 4% for 20- to 24-year-olds and by 9% for 25- to 29-year-olds, "two age groups with the highest number of hospitalizations."

After increasing sharply between 2020 and 2021, the number of hospitalizations of patients under 20 years of age fell in 2022 and 2023, before rising again in 2024. Conversely, the number of hospitalizations of women aged 40 to 60 has fallen steadily since 2012.

Among men, the majority of suicide deaths, hospitalizations for suicide attempts increased by +17% among 15-19 year-olds, +8% among 20-24 year-olds and +7% among 25-29 year-olds compared to 2023, and by +9% among 40-44 year-olds.

"The sudden decline in the mental health of a significant minority of adolescent girls and women under 30 is an international phenomenon that emerged in the 2010s, and which the 2020 health crisis appears to have exacerbated," reports Drees.

"Although it is difficult to determine the causes of this deterioration, one hypothesis seems to stand out, pointing to the misuse of social networks and the specific attacks that can occur there against this population," she notes. Health Minister Yannick Neuder announced a plan for mental health and psychiatry on June 11, which largely disappointed health professionals.