More teenage girls are ‘poisoning themselves with booze and painkillers’

YOUNG teen girls in Britain are poisoning themselves with painkillers and booze, a study shows.

It found a steep rise in cases involving paracetamol among 10-15 year old girls.

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Alcohol-related harm also rose among girls aged 19 to 24.

Scientists from Nottingham University issued a warning to parents after analysing 40,000 poisoning cases over a 16-year period.

In a report in the British Journal of General Practice they said: “Parents need to recognise that substances often found in domestic medicine cupboards are frequently used for self-harm.

“They commonly include over-the-counter medications that may be easily accessible within households or which young people may buy themselves.”

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Most cases involved paracetamol, anti-inflammatory painkillers often used for back pain or arthritis and even potent opioids – often used to treat cancer pain.

Some teens poisoned themselves with antidepressants.

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Researchers said: “Between 1998 and 2014, there was a five-fold increase in opioid poisonings among 10–24-year-olds, and a three- to fourfold increase in antidepressant poisonings.”

Kids from poor backgrounds were most at risk, researchers said.

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