Self-Injury Support Offers a helpline service for women of any age who self-harm, as well as text and email services for women under Telephone : Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7pm — pm Text : Open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7pm — pm.
Email: tessmail selfinjurysupport. They have information, support forums. Telephone : Website : www. They provide advice, support and psychosocial services to children, young people and adults. Open 10am-4pm Monday to Friday. Email : www. Shout can help with urgent issues such as suicidal thoughts, abuse or assault, self-harm, bullying and relationship challenges.
Text : Text Shout to Recover Your Life This is an online forum that is run by and for people who self-harm. They have information and advice about different issues. The Samaritans This is a listening service for anyone in distress including people who self-harm.
Volunteers offer a listening service, along with coping strategies and signposting. Telephone : - 5pm to 10pm every night of the year. Text : - 5pm to 10pm every night of the year.
Webchat : see website: www. Self-Harm Service This is an NHS national treatment service for people who self-harm a lot and have problems with their relationships with other people.
But the service will only accept you as a patient if you meet their eligibility criteria. You should also ask your GP if your local trust has any self-harm services or look on the trust website.
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Get help now. Advice and information About mental illness Learn more about symptoms Self-harm. Self-harm This section looks at what self-harm is and why you may self-harm. If you would like more advice or information you can contact our Advice and Information Service by clicking here.
Download Self-harm factsheet. Share: Contact us:. Overview Self-harm is harming yourself on purpose. Such as by scratching, cutting, overdosing on medication, biting or burning. You may self-harm because you find it difficult to cope with your moods or how you feel. Everyone has their own reasons for selfharming. Drinking a lot of alcohol or taking drugs may increase your risk of self-harm. You are more at risk of death if you self-harm because of accidental suicide.
Your doctor can help if you want to stop self-harming. They might refer you for specialist support. Sharing your feelings with someone you trust can help you selfharm less and make you feel less alone.
It can be hard to know how to support someone who self-harms. Being patient and learning about why people self-harm can help. Need more advice? If you need more advice or information you can contact our Advice and Information Service. Contact us Contact us. About What is self-harm? People self-harm in different ways such as the following. Who self-harms? You are more likely to self-harm if you: have a mental health issue such as: depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, or an eating disorder, have a substance abuse issue, are female, are a young person, are in prison, are an asylum seeker, are a veteran of the armed forces, are gay, lesbian or bisexual, have lost a loved one through suicide, or are a survivor of physical, emotional or sexual abuse as a child or as an adult.
Why do I self-harm? These reasons may change over time. You may self-harm to manage feelings Being overwhelmed by feelings is a common reason that people selfharm. You may self-harm to communicate You may self-harm to try and show others how you feel. You may self-harm to have control Self-harm can be a way of feeling in control of your body or your environment.
You may self-harm to punish yourself You may self-harm to punish yourself for feelings or behaviours that you think are your fault. Do people self-harm more than once? But self-harm can increase your risk of suicide. You may unintentionally end your life. Disclosing self-harm How can I tell someone I self-harm? Below are some things to think about when you are going to tell someone.
Who do I tell? For example, you may want to tell: a friend or family member, your GP, someone on an emotional support line, where you can remain anonymous if you prefer. What do I tell them? When do I say it? Where do I tell them? Why am I telling them? You might tell them because: you want to share that you self-harm or why you do it, you might feel that you have given them the wrong impression about how you feel or why you self-harm, or you want support to stop self-harming.
What do I do if they struggle to understand? The two main ways recommended by NICE to manage self-harm are: Short term management of self-harm, and Long term management of self-harm. There is no safe way to self-poison. Your GP should still monitor your physical health. Long-term management of self-harm If you need long-term management for your self-harm, your GP may offer you an assessment with your local community mental health team CMHT. This should contain information such as: how to stop your self-harm from getting worse, how to reduce or stop harm caused by your-self harm, how to lessen risky behaviours, how to improve your ability to function, and how to improve your quality of life.
Your care plan should also: identify goals that you would like to achieve in life, such as employment goals, identify team members and what they should be doing for you, include a risk management plan, identify short term goals linked to your-self harm, and be shared with your GP. It should look at: current risk, long term risk, things that increase your risk of self-harm, and a crisis plan.
You may be offered: cognitive behavioural therapy, psychodynamic therapy, or problem solving therapy. Your therapist should help you understand the reasons why you self-harm. Ending care with the specialist mental health team When your treatment and care is due to end professionals should: tell you what is likely to happen when your care ends tell you ahead of time so that you can get used to the change give you extra support if you need it, make sure you have a clear crisis plan in place, share your care plan with any other professionals who are taking over your care, give you a copy of your plan and what has been agreed, and give your family or carer a copy of the plan if you agree You can find more information: Talking Therapies by clicking here.
Care Programme Approach by clicking here. Medication — choice and managing problems by clicking here. What if I am not happy with my treatment? There is more information about these options below. Treatment options You should first speak to your doctor about your treatment. Second opinion A second opinion means that you would like a different doctor to give their opinion about what treatment you should have.
Advocacy Advocates help you to deal with and overcome issues that you have. These are available in all areas. Community or mental health advocates can support you to get a health professional to listen to your concerns. These are available in some areas only. You can find out more about: Second opinions by clicking here.
Advocacy by clicking here. Complaints about the NHS or social services by clicking here. Going to hospital What will happen if I need to go to hospital? The assessment is to understand your: physical risk of harm, your mental state, your mental capacity, your willingness to stay in hospital for further assessments, your distress level, and any possible mental health issues Everyone who self-harms should: have treatment for serious injuries, have a risk assessment, and be offered a needs assessment.
Have you been drinking or taking illegal drugs? Why did you self-harm? Do you have a history of self-harm? Do you have a mental health condition? Do you have mental capacity? Do you have a plan to kill yourself? Are you feeling hopeless or depressed? You may have a risk assessment and needs assessment at the same time.
You can leave if you want to unless: Professionals have assessed you and think you lack capacity to make that decision. Or, You are detained under the Mental Health Act. You can find more information about: The Mental Health Act by clicking here. Mental capacity and mental illness by clicking here. Stay in hospital. You may be kept in hospital overnight. You may be kept in hospital if you were going to go back to an unsafe place. This may be because you were too distressed or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
An assessment of your needs should be done with you as soon as possible. You may be referred for further assessment and treatment. This will be a joint decision between you and health care professionals. The decision to refer you should be based on the assessment of your needs and risk.
You may be discharged without a follow up appointment. This decision will be based on your needs assessment and risk. The assessment should be written in your medical notes and passed to your GP and any other relevant mental health services.
Helping myself How can I help myself? Delay self-harm You may self-harm straight away when you are distressed. Non-harmful ways to manage how I feel Talk to someone who understands.
If you feel that you have to self-harm, try the following instead: Write down how you are feeling and then tear it up or rip it up. Punch a punch bag or kick something soft. Scream into a pillow. Go for a walk. Play a sport, exercise or go to the gym. Bite into a piece of ginger or a chilli. Squeeze an ice cube as hard as you can. Snap elastic bands on your wrist.
Form an image of yourself feeling empowered. For example, try imagining yourself as superhero. Or try to remember a time you felt strong and positive about yourself. If you are feeling low or anxious you could try the following. Pamper yourself. Have a bath with bath oil. Do something active. Clean up or clear out your wardrobe.
Choose a random object and think of 10 different uses for it. Before harming, write down the answers to these questions. Why do I feel I need to hurt myself? What has happened to make me feel like this? How do I feel right now? Have I been here before? What did I do to deal with it? Intense emotions can lead to the feeling of tension building up in your body, so loosening up and moving your body can help.
Not to mention, it can provide distraction and encourage healthier habits. Usually, moving your body might include things like going for a walk, but depending on your comfort level exercising outside during the pandemic , even in a safe, socially distanced way, you might opt for indoor exercise instead.
Taking your emotions out on other objects can also be a great way to escape from the sharp and heavy emotions you may feel. As safer alternatives to releasing this tension, Dr. Aragam recommends things like destroying pieces of paper, punching a soft object like a pillow or clay , or loudly banging pots and pans.
You might also find it helpful to channel your emotions into something creative, like art or music. Deep breathing not only has multiple physical benefits like engaging your parasympathetic nervous system to help you relax physically , but it can also calm you down mentally.
Taking even a few seconds to slow down and take some deep breaths can have a crucial impact and help you focus a little more on the powerful emotions you may be experiencing, according to Dr. She also recommends deep breathing and guided meditation as a long-term practice to make it more helpful in the moment. For beginners, Dr. Vasan suggests downloading Calm and Headspace and trying the free versions of both for at least a week.
The more you practice, the more easily you can rely on these tools when you really need them. Try writing down what self-harm activity you want to engage in instead of acting on it. Or express your deepest, innermost thoughts to get them out of your head and onto the page. You can even just draw, scribble, or write down emotive words instead of bothering with full sentences. If it helps, rip up your paper after writing down your struggles. On the other hand, you might find it more helpful to write down things that help you feel the opposite of what you are feeling.
What makes you happy? What makes you joyful? Hoffman recommends keeping a gratitude journal to center you in moments of distress, whether by adding to it or reading previous entries. Self-harm is defined as the act of someone hurting themselves intentionally. Most people who self-harm are not attempting suicide. Self-harm is also referred to as non-suicidal self-injury NSSI. However self-harm can cause more damage to someone's health and safety than they may have intended and can also cause accidental suicide.
Some people who self-harm may only do so once, whereas others self-harm frequently and for many years. Some people are more likely to self-harm than others. The chance of someone self-harming can increase if they have suffered or are suffering from physical, emotional or sexual abuse , or are living with a mental illness. Someone may also self-harm because of the death of a loved one , because they experience pain , such as bullying , or loss such as miscarriage , or because they experience extreme sadness or anger.
While every case is different, there are some common signs that suggest someone may be self-harming. Some people are motivated to self-harm in an attempt to show others that they are struggling. Some people also self-harm in an attempt to cope with upsetting feelings and thoughts. They may self-harm because they experience loneliness or to attempt to relieve feelings of guilt or shame. However, feeling relieved after self-harming is only short term, and can result in a desire to self-harm again.
A person who experiences a mental health condition is at a higher risk of self-harm or suicide. There is also evidence that suggests depression can be a precursor to self-harm. People suffering from personality disorders , may also be more likely to self-harm. If you self-harm, it is important to see a counsellor , psychiatrist or doctor. These healthcare professionals can help you find what's causing your urge to self-harm and work through your difficult thoughts.
Early intervention can minimise damage caused by self-harm and decrease your risk of future episodes. If you can, find supportive people who you feel comfortable with who you can talk to and will listen without judgement.
If you have a friend or a family member you can trust, reach out to them to help you through this challenge. If you think someone you care for is engaging in self-harm, it is important that you offer them support and show them that you care about their wellbeing. Encourage them to get professional help and continue the conversation about their mental health by checking in with them to see how they are going.
If you need support, call Lifeline on 13 11 If you think you or another person's safety is at risk, call triple zero immediately. Someone self-harms and seeks medical assistance will be referred by their doctor to a psychologist who specialises in self-harm. A psychologist or mental health professional can help you to find the cause or trigger for your self-harm behaviour. They can also provide management tools to help you cope with any challenging thoughts and difficult feelings.
In many cases, people who self-harm also suffer from a mental health disorder. A psychologist can assess whether there are any underlying mental health conditions. Psychologists can provide management strategies and treatments that can help you feel better. There are different approaches to manage self-harm and mental illness. They include the following:.
You may need treatment from a doctor for physical injuries after a self-harm episode.
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