Self harm is harming your self on purpose such as scratching, cutting, overdosing on meds, biting or burning. It isn’t a mental illness but is often linked to mental distress
Drinking a lot of alcohol and or taking drugs may increase your risk of self harm. May also be more at risk of death due to accidental suicide
A young person is more likely to self harm and is on the rise in young people. Also some people with a mental health problem may also heighten the risk of self harming behaviour
A person’s gp may be able to help by referring on to specialist support
When a person self harms it may help if they share their feelings with someone they can trust. It can lead to a person self harming less and reduce isolation
It can be hard to know how to support somone who self harms. But being patient and learning about why people self harm can help. I will be looking at how to respond and support somone who self harms later