Why is self harm bad

Your therapy should be tailored to your needs. There are many different types of therapy. You may be offered:. Ending care with the specialist mental health team When your treatment and care is due to end professionals should:. You should first speak to your doctor about your treatment. You could ask what other treatments you could try. Tell your doctor if there is a type of treatment that you would like to try.

Doctors should listen to your preference. A second opinion means that you would like a different doctor to give their opinion about what treatment you should have. You can also ask for a second opinion if you disagree with your diagnosis.

But your doctor should listen to your reason for wanting a second opinion. Advocates help you to deal with and overcome issues that you have. They are independent from the NHS and free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard.

There are 3 types of advocates that might be able to help if you are unhappy about your treatment. They give information and support to patients and can help you to resolve issues.

You can find your local PALS through this website link: www. This is where your concerns are investigated in more detail. If you go to hospital because of self-harm healthcare staff should urgently assess your mental health. The assessment is to understand your:.

Can I just get treatment for my injuries? What is a risk assessment? A risk assessment should be completed with you to think about any risks. In hospital staff may want to do a risk assessment with you by going through a questionnaire with you.

Healthcare professionals will look at different things to work out risk using a scale. Some of the things healthcare professionals will look at are around the following. What is a needs assessment? This will look at your needs to help you to manage and recover from selfharm. It should look at both your mental health and social care needs. It will be completed with a mental health specialist. You should work together with the specialist to agree your needs.

They should then be put in a written plan. The needs assessment should be passed on to your GP and to any relevant mental health services. This is to help them give you follow up support. Can I leave? You might be in a healthcare setting like a hospital, or a mental health service, because of self-harm. But you might want to leave. Before you leave professionals should assess you to test your mental capacity and to see if they think you have a mental illness.

What will happen after my assessments? The NHS has 3 different options depending on your risk. But it is possible. The first step is deciding you want to stop and that you are doing this for you. Some people have found it helpful being supported by loved ones to help them stop self-harming.

There are different ways to help reduce the amount you self-harm, or to try to stop completely. Everybody is different and what works for someone else may not work for you. Try different things. Whatever you choose give yourself time, as it may take a while for things to improve. You can think about telling your friends and family that you are trying to stop or reduce your self-harm.

You can let them know if there is anything that they can do to support you. You may self-harm straight away when you are distressed. You can try to delay your self-harm. With this technique, you might not self-harm as badly, as often or at all.

This may work because often people react to difficult feelings quickly by self-harming. Give yourself an aim. You can gradually increase the amount of time you wait before selfharming. This might lead to you not self-harming at all. Talk to someone who understands. This could be a friend, a relative or another person who self-harms. There may be a local support group you can join or a helpline you can ring.

You might self-harm for several reasons. You can decide on what techniques work for you best. The NHS make free self-help guide you can use to help you. Here is the link: www. The app is not an aid to treatment. Here is the link to download the app: www. This app is to help give people easy and discreet access to information and advice about selfharm and suicidal thoughts. There is always risk with self-harm.

But you might want to lower the physical damage you do when you self-harm. This is called harm-reduction. There are some suggestions below. You may have scars from your self-harm. You may feel embarrassed, ashamed or feel guilty about your scars. Accepting your scars can be an important part of recovery.

This can take time. If people see your scars they might ask what happened. They may not realise that you have self-harmed. You might deal with things differently depending on who asks you. Be honest You may want to tell people that your scars were caused by self-harm. You can tell them as much or as little as you want. You could think about some responses you are happy with. There are ways you can treat and disguise scars if you want to.

Most scars will fade over time but will never disappear. Not all of these will suit every type of scar. You can talk to your doctor about your scars and how to deal with them. Keep fresh injuries clean and infection free.

Good first aid or care for your wound can reduce scarring. You may be feeling all sorts of different things if someone you know selfharms. Here are some tips on how to deal with the situation and support the person you care about. Self-harm is the way the person you care for deals with their distress. Be honest with yourself about how the self-harm makes you feel. It is ok to feel whatever you feel.

You may feel frightened, uncomfortable and provoked. Take time to process your feelings around your relative selfharming. Try not to react to stressful or emotional situations with anger or blame.

If your relative wants to talk to you about their self-harm the main thing to do is listen to them. You can ask them what help they want. You may have a better understanding of what the person is going through if you educate yourself. You could contact mental health and self-harm charities for information. Or read books or join a support group. Tell them you care for them if they self-harm or not.

If possible, make sure they have a safe place. Be as available as you can be. Set aside your personal feelings about self-harm and focus on what's going on for them. Be honest and realistic about what you can and can't do.

Offer the person support if you think that you can help with something. You may think about removing sharp objects or pills from the house. This can be an option if the person feels suicidal and you need to do something in a crisis. At other times this may not be helpful as for many self-harm is a coping technique.

It is likely to make them feel more alone. Accepting and understanding that someone is in pain doesn't make the pain go away. But it can make it more bearable for them to know that someone understands. Be hopeful about the possibilities of finding other ways of coping rather than self-harm. If they are willing, discuss possibilities for treatment with them.

Some people describe their self-harm as a way of staying alive by responding to or coping with severe emotional distress. It's important to find the right support or treatment to help deal with the underlying cause in a less harmful way. This video explores why young people may self-harm and gives advice on how to get the right support.

Page last reviewed: 23 July Next review due: 23 July If you have serious injury, feel unwell or feel that you are going into shock fast breathing, racing heart, feeling faint or panicked you should seek help immediately.

If you find yourself in this situation, find a trusted adult or friend who can get you the medical attention you need. Many people stop hurting themselves when the time is right for them.

It is a huge step towards stopping when they begin to talk about it, because it means that they are starting to think about what might take its place eventually. You can create a safe box to help you through times when you feel overwhelmed by emotion and have the urge to harm yourself. Fill it with things that make you happy and calm, to help you to get through this feeling.

Some suggestions: activities such as crosswords, your favourite book, CD or movie. You could also include a list of things to do that make you calm when you are feeling triggered.

When you are feeling overwhelmed, talk to a friend, family member or trusted adult. Let them know what you are thinking. This can help relieve the pressure that you are feeling. Make a list of people you can talk to at these times and keep it somewhere safe. Knowing who you can talk to in times of crisis at 3am, weekends or when you are at school can make it easier to ask for help when you need it.

Add these to your safe box. This will remind you that you are not alone and there are people you can talk to when you need to. We often drink alcohol or take drugs to change our mood or to avoid our feelings. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but like self-harm the effect is only temporary and can end up making you feel worse. This changes how you think and feel, so can increase feelings of anxiety and depression.

When it wears off you can end up feeling worse because of the effects it has on your brain and your body. Drinking alcohol or taking drugs can leave you feeling depressed or anxious, and can lower your inhibitions physically, which can lead you back to harming yourself. Visit www. Remember that there is more to you than self-harm. Do things that remind you of this and make you happy.

Maybe this is a sport, or a hobby you like doing such as writing. Doing things that you enjoy and makes you feel happy, helps you look after your mental health. It helps to improve your self-esteem and can help you remember that you are important and have value. Many young people who self-harm can be perfectionists and high achievers [31].

You might put pressure on yourself to do things in a certain way, or feel that nothing you do is good enough. Try to not be so hard on yourself about not getting things perfect. If you are worried that someone you know is self-harming, it is important to know what to look out for and what to do.

Below is some information to help you. It can be difficult to tell whether someone is self-harming. Here are some signs that might suggest someone could be self-harming [32]:. Also, there may be no warning signs at all.

It is therefore important that if you suspect someone you know is self-harming, that you ask them openly and honestly. If you are worried that someone you know is self-harming, it can be difficult to know what to do. When you are aware there is an issue, it is important that you do not wait. Waiting and hoping they will come to you for help might lose valuable time in getting them the best support and treatment to help them [33].

Be mindful that they might not feel ready or able to talk about their self-harm. It takes a lot of trust and courage to open up about self-harm. You might be the first person they have been able to talk to about this.

If it is a family member or close friend you are concerned about, they might not want to talk to you. Try not to take this personally: telling someone you love about self-harm can be difficult as you are close to them and they might be worried they are hurting you. Whether you approach someone you are worried about, or someone opens up to you about their self-harm, it is important that you respond in a non-judgemental, caring and respectful way.

This can be hard when you see that someone is in distress, and it can be difficult to understand why someone would hurt themselves, however you should try to see the person and reasons they have harmed themselves rather than focusing on the behaviours. These pages will tell you a bit about us as well as pointing you in the right direction if you need to contact us or find out more about our policies and procedures.

Young Minds - www. Driven by their experiences we campaign, research and influence policy and practice. Helpful telephone numbers include:. Order this publication This booklet aims to help you understand more about self-harm and what to do if you are worried about yourself or someone else. Introduction Self-harm is very common and affects more people than you might think.

With the right help and support most people who self-harm can and do fully recover. What is self-harm? The self-harm cycle Self-harm usually starts as a way to relieve the build-up of pressure from distressing thoughts and feelings. Who does it? Most young people reported that they started to hurt themselves around the age of Some factors that might make someone more at risk are: Experience of a mental health disorder.

This might include depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and eating disorders. Why do people self-harm? Some of the reasons that young people report as triggers or reasons that lead them to self-harm include [14]: difficulties at home arguments or problems with friends school pressures bullying depression anxiety low self-esteem transitions and changes, such as changing schools alcohol and drug use.

Breaking Down The Myths There are lots of myths attached to self-harm. Getting Help Should I tell someone? Talking to someone is often the first step to getting out of the cycle.

Who can I talk to? Young people told us that they have been able to talk to: friends family someone at school, such as a trusted teacher, school nurse or pastoral care staff a youth worker their GP or healthcare professionals such as a counsellor or nurse charities and helplines some of which are listed below. What help is available for me? How can I stop harming myself? Get some play-dough: stretch it or squeeze it to relieve tension.

Hit a pillow or cushion to vent your anger and frustration. Have a good scream into a pillow or cushion. Medication is often useful in the management of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, and the racing thoughts that may accompany self-injury. Contracts, journals, and behavior logs are useful tools for regaining self-control. Interpersonal therapy assists individuals in gaining insight and skills for the development and maintenance of relationships. Successful courses of treatment are marked by: An individual's active involvement and committment to their treatment, Aftercare plans with support for the individual's new self-management skills and behaviors, and Collaboration between all involved professionals medical and otherwise.

Other Resources. Eating Disorders Eating disorders are real, complex medical and psychiatric illnesses that can have serious consequences for health, productivity and relationships. Helpful vs Harmful: Ways to Manage Emotions With practice, everyone can do a better job of dealing with their negative emotions in healthy ways.