Self Harm
"Self-harm is when somebody intentionally damages or injures their body. It is usually a way of coping with or expressing overwhelming emotional distress."
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What is Self harm?
What is Self harm?
Self-harm is when someone hurts themselves as a way of dealing with very difficult feelings, painful memories or overwhelming situations and experiences. Some people have described self-harm as a way to:
express something that is hard to put into words
turn invisible thoughts or feelings into something visible
change emotional pain into physical pain
reduce overwhelming emotional feelings or thoughts
have a sense of being in control
escape traumatic memories
have something in life that they can rely on
punish themselves for their feelings and experiences
stop feeling numb, disconnected or dissociated
create a reason to physically care for themselves
express suicidal feelings and thoughts without taking their own life.
After self-harming people may feel a short-term sense of release, but the cause of the distress is unlikely to have gone away. Self-harm can also bring up very difficult emotions and could make people feel worse.
Even though there are always reasons underneath someone hurting themselves, it is important to know that self-harm does carry risks. Once someone has started to depend on self-harm, it can take a long time to stop.
Forms of self harm
Forms of self harm
The way people can self-harm include:
cutting
poisoning
over-eating or under-eating
exercising excessively
biting
picking or scratching at their skin
burning their skin
inserting objects into their body
hitting themselves or walls
misusing alcohol, prescription and recreational drugs
pulling hair
having unsafe sex
getting into fights where they know they will get hurt.
Why someone self harms
Why someone self harms
There are no fixed rules about why people self-harm. It really can be very different for everyone.
For some people, self-harm is linked to specific experiences and is a way of dealing with something that's either happening at the moment or which happened in the past. For others, the reasons are less clear and can be harder to make sense of.
Sometimes they might not know why they hurt themselves. If they don’t understand the reasons for why they self-harm, they can still get help.
Any difficult experience can cause someone to self-harm. Common reasons include:
pressures at school or work
bullying
money worries
sexual, physical or emotional abuse
bereavement
homophobia, bi-phobia and transphobia
breakdown of a relationship
an illness or health problem
low self-esteem
an increase in stress
difficult feelings, such as depression, anxiety, anger or numbness.
Some people self-harm particular areas of their body that are linked to an earlier trauma. Some people find that certain actions, such as drinking alcohol or taking drugs, increase the likelihood of self-harm, or that self-harm is more likely to happen at certain times (at night, for example).
Sometimes people talk about self-harm as attention-seeking. If people make comments like this, it can leave them feeling judged and alone. In reality, a lot of people keep their self-harm private, and it can be painful to have their behaviour misunderstood in this way.
Information, Resources & Support
Information, Resources & Support
Mind – Explains self-harm, including possible causes and how you can access treatment and support. Includes tips for helping yourself, and guidance for friends and family.
Harmless – Harmless is the national centre of excellence for self harm and suicide prevention. We save lives by providing support, information, training and consultancy about self harm to individuals who self harm, their friends, families and professionals.
Self-injury Support - self-harm & self-injury charity offering direct support, reliable information, expert training and specialist consultancy.
National Self Harm Network forums - Support individuals who self harm to reduce emotional distress and improve their quality of life Support and provide information for family and carers of individuals who self harm.
Health for Teens - Self-harm information and advice.
Mentally Healthy schools - The truth about self-harm for young people and their friends and families. This booklet sensitively explores why self-harm happens, how to deal with it, and how to recover from the cycle.
Teen Flash - provide a combined approach to supporting families and individuals through the provision of information, support, guidance, group programmes, supported signposting and training professionals.
Young Minds - advice and support for young people and parents
Samaritans - advice and support
NHS - Where to get help for self-harm.
Mind – advice and information about self harm from the mental health charity
Harmless - charity providing self-harm support
Self-harm in Young People: Information for Parents, Carers and Anyone Who Works with Young People, Royal College of Psychiatrists.
The Mental Health Foundation - The Truth About Self-harm booklet
The Mix - Essential Support for Under 25s
Life Signs - Self Injury guidance and network support
Truth Hurts Report of the National Inquiry into Self-harm among Young People
SOMETHING MISSING?
SOMETHING MISSING?
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