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Self Harm

If you need immediate help because someone is seriously hurt or has taken an overdose you should call 999. 

You can also phone 0808 196 3779, the Nottinghamshire Mental Health Crisis Line, 24/7. SHOUT: is a free, confidential, anonymous text support service for anyone struggling to cope. Available 24/7. Text NOTTS to 85258.

 

Self-harm, or self-injury, describes a wide range of things people do to hurt themselves on purpose.  It’s usually a way of trying to cope with difficult feelings, or a difficult situation that someone is going through. It can be very hard to know about, or see, someone self-harming.

 

People self-harm in lots of different ways, and self-harm can affect people of any age. Some people who self-harm also have suicidal thoughts, but there are a lot of people who self-harm who don’t have these thoughts. However, someone is hurting themselves, self-harm is a sign of distress and should be taken seriously. Some argue that risky behaviours like drinking too much alcohol, taking drugs and having unprotected sex are also a form of self-harming.

 

It can be hard to recognise the signs of self-harm, and most people who self-harm try to hide what they’re doing.  It’s important to trust your instincts if you’re worried that something’s wrong.  Signs to look out for can include:

  • covering up, for example by wearing long sleeves a lot of the time, especially in summer
  • unexplained bruises, cuts, burns or bite marks
  • blood stains on clothes, or finding tissues with blood on
  • becoming withdrawn, and spending a lot of time alone
  • feeling down, low self-esteem or blaming themselves for things
  • outbursts of anger, or risky behaviour like drinking too much alcohol or using drugs.

 

Watch this video about self harm from MIND:

Here’s a helpful video about self harm myths from BBC Three:

 

 

What can I do to help?

It can be difficult to know what to do or how to react if you find out that someone is self-harming.  Here are some things that can really help:

  1. Stay calm and encourage them to talk to you about what’s going on for them. Remember they are likely to feel ashamed of their self-harm and find it difficult to talk about.
  2. Try not to ask them lots of questions all at once
  3. Keep an eye on them, but avoid ‘policing’ them, because this can increase their risk of self-harming. Avoid acting or communicating in a way that threatens to take control away from your loved one.
  4. Consider whether the person might be self-harming in areas that you can’t see (e.g. inner thighs)
  5. Remember self-harm is a coping mechanism, it is a symptom of an underlying problem.
  6. Encourage them to find things they can do to cope instead of self-harming, but don’t force someone stop self-harming if they’re not ready to yet. It might be the only way that they have found so far to cope with what they’re going through and stay alive
  7. If you feel confident enough, you could support them to make a safety plan
  8. Support them to find professional help. Check out the Get Help Now links on this page
  9. Make sure you are familiar with your organisation’s policies and procedures, particularly around confidentiality. If you aren’t sure, ask your supervisor or manager
  10. Make sure you have ways of looking after yourself while you are supporting someone who self-harms

 

It may be useful for your team to do some training around understanding self-harm and how to respond to it. Take a look at the Harmless training and resources.