Self-injury is a type of self-harm, and refers to deliberately causing pain or damage to your own body without suicidal intent. Self-injury is more common in young people. Some people who self-harm may also have suicidal thoughts. Self-harm can take on different forms and its frequency can vary from person to person — some may do it once, while others can do it for many years. It can include:. There are many support options for self-harming behaviour, whether you are seeking support for yourself or someone you care about.
If you are self-harming and you are worried, try to talk to someone you trust — like a friend, family member, doctor, teacher or school counsellor. It can be hard to build up the courage to open up to someone, but remember, they care about your wellbeing. You can:. Sometimes the distress you feel can be so overwhelming that you may have thoughts about ending your life. If you or someone you know is badly hurt or is at serious risk of harm, contact emergency services.
Dial triple zero or visit your nearest emergency department. You can also contact your doctor or mental health crisis service. You can also call:. It can be difficult to recognise whether someone is self-harming as many people who self-harm keep it a secret.
Trust your instincts, especially if you think they are distressed or in trouble. Some signs may include:. People who self-harm need care, understanding and support in order to recover. Stigma from others can be damaging and may stop them from getting the support they need. According to a report by Orygen Looking the other way: young people and self-harm , it is thought up to half the people who self-harm never seek help.
If you think someone you know might be self-harming, it is important to try to talk to them about it, and encourage them to seek professional help. Talking to people who self-harm about their behaviour can be safe and very helpful if done in a supportive way. It can be difficult to approach someone who is self-harming. If you cannot do it on your own, ask someone else for help. ReachOut and eheadspace have some helpful advice on how to start a conversation with someone who self-harms.
Try the following suggestions:. If the person who is self-harming is not ready to talk about it, try another time or suggest they speak to someone who makes them feel comfortable. It can be helpful to draft up a safety plan or learn mental health first aid so you know what to do in a crisis. Encourage the person to seek support for themselves, or offer to help them make contact with one or more of the suggested supports.
If your child, friend or other family member is self-harming, or you think they might be, seeking support from a mental health professional is important for you too.
However, upsetting it can be to see a loved one in trouble, remember that self-harming behaviour is treatable and not everyone who self-harms is suicidal. Here are some ways to help.
If you've injured yourself severely or believe your injury may be life-threatening, or if you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, call or your local emergency number immediately. There's no one single or simple cause that leads someone to self-injure. In general, self-injury may result from:. Most people who self-injure are teenagers and young adults, although those in other age groups also self-injure.
Self-injury often starts in the preteen or early teen years, when emotions are more volatile and teens face increasing peer pressure, loneliness, and conflicts with parents or other authority figures. Although self-injury is not usually a suicide attempt, it can increase the risk of suicide because of the emotional problems that trigger self-injury.
And the pattern of damaging the body in times of distress can make suicide more likely. There is no sure way to prevent your loved one's self-injuring behavior. But reducing the risk of self-injury includes strategies that involve both individuals and communities. Parents, family members, teachers, school nurses, coaches or friends can help. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Nonsuicidal self-injury, often simply called self-injury, is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. Share on: Facebook Twitter. 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? How did I feel then? What have I done to make myself feel better before?
What else can I do that won't hurt me? Do I need to hurt myself? How will I feel when I am hurting myself? How will I feel after hurting myself? How will I feel tomorrow morning? Can I avoid what has made me feel like this, or deal with it better in the future? Make sure anything you cut yourself with is clean. For example, use new blades. Think carefully about where you cut. Avoid areas such as the insides of the wrists or the tops of the legs, as it can be risky to cut here.
Make sure you are up to date with your tetanus jab. Tetanus is a serious infection. Scar tissue may not be as strong as your skin. Think about cutting down on or avoiding drugs or alcohol. Signs of self-harm If you think a friend or relative is self-harming, look out for signs, including: unexplained cuts, bruises or cigarette burns - usually on the wrists, arms, thighs and chest keeping themselves fully covered at all times, even in hot weather pulling out their hair alcohol or drugs misuse self-loathing and expressing a wish to punish themselves speaking about not wanting to go on and wishing to end it all becoming very withdrawn and not speaking to others changes in eating habits or being secretive about eating unusual weight loss or weight gain signs of low self-esteem, such as blaming themselves for any problems or thinking they're not good enough for something signs of depression, such as low mood, tearfulness or a lack of motivation or interest in anything People who self-harm can seriously hurt themselves.
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