understanding self harm latest

8/22/2019 Understanding Self Harm Latest

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Understanding Self Harm

Self-harm is something we do to help us deal with verydifficult situations. We deal with these situations in

various ways.


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1.What is self harm?

Self harm is something we do to help us deal with verydifficult situations. We deal with these situations in

various ways. Quite often it is not known why people self-harm. It is believed to be a way of communicatingsomething that you cant put into words. Afterwards, wecan feel better and able to cope again.

Self-harm is covered by a broad term.:

Scratch, cutting or burning ourselves

Hitting ourselves against objects

We may injure or poison ourselves.

Taking a drug overdose, swallowing or putting thingsinside ourselves.

It may also take less noticeable forms for example: eating

disorders, like anorexia or bulimia.

These responses help us deal with very difficult feelingsthat we are not able to cope with. It helps us deal withthings like rage, self-hatred, sadness, grief, guilt andloneliness.

Selfharm can serve a number of purposes at the sametime. It is a way of being distracted from your problems ora way of letting somebody know how you are feeling. Youmay also gain comfort from self-harming.Because we tend to feel ashamed of our actions, when weself-harm we try and hide what we are doing rather than

draw attention to it.


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It is worth bearing in mind that most people do at timesbehave in a self-destructive manner and they may noteven realise. Perfectly ordinary behaviour such as over-eating, smoking or drinking too much can all be ways of

helping us distract ourselves from any problems we mayhave.

2.WHY DO WE SELF-HARM?

We are more likely to self-harm if we are going through avery difficult and painful time. At the time we probably feel

as though we have nobody to talk to and so do not receivethe support we need to enable us deal with the situation.

The experiences we are going through could be physicalviolence, sexual or emotional abuse. We may feelneglected or have been separated from somebody that we

love. We may be being bullied or under a great amount ofpressure.When we are having these experiences our self-esteemcan drop. If as a young person we feel as though we arebeing betrayed by a trusted adult we may start to blameourselves for the situation we find ourselves in. We mayturn our anger inwards which may result in self-harm as a

way of expressing our pain or keeping difficult memoriesat bay.

Quite often during self-harm we do not actually feel anypain. This is similar to the absence of pain we may feelduring abuse or any trauma we may suffer. If we feel

extremely traumatised we may feel quite detached fromourselves. We may injure ourselves to keep up that


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feeling of being detached. We may also harm ourselvesto assure us that we are real and alive.

3.WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO SELF-HARM?

Research suggests that on average 10 per cent of youngadults have at onetime self-harmed, usually by cuttingthemselves and that girls are more likely than boys to dothis. The most common reason for self-harming is to findan escape from a very difficult situation. Young peopletend to find under a great amount of pressure from their

families, school and even their friends. Many youngpeople do have friends that self-harm.

Research suggests that young people that self-harmstruggle with their self-esteem and may be depressed oranxious. They may be faced with many problems and are

not able to deal with them. They may retreat intothemselves and stop communication with others.

They may start to drink more and smoke or even start totake recreational drugs.


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4.IS SELF-HARMING A SUICIDE ATTEMPT?

The majority of people that self-harm are not suicidal,however there is a small number of people that will

intentionally attempt suicide.

5.IS SELF-HARMING JUST ATTENTION SEEKING ?

Because it can be difficult to understand self-harming,family, friends and healthcare professionals canmistakenly see this behaviour as manipulative or attention

seeking.

If someone you know self-harms you may find it difficultwhen faced with their wounds. Your own feelings towardsthe situation may cause you to blame them instead ofsupporting them.

We have to try and remember that this may be the onlyway of communicating. However difficult and upsettingthis may be it may not be the intentions of the person self-harming to upset their family and friends.

6.WHAT CAN TRIGGER SELF-HARM

You may only harm yourself once or twice when facedwith a very difficult situation and never self-harm again.However self- harm can become a continued way ofcoping with on-going problems. A trigger can besomething like an anniversary which causes difficultmemories to surface. It could be triggered by unexpected

event in your life. Sometimes we may find that ourordinary day to day life can be the trigger to self-harm andthis is the only way we can cope.


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7.WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP SELF-HARMING?

The single most important thing to remember is that wehave choices: Stopping Self-Harming can stop now.

There are many ways in which we can try to stopourselves self-harming:

Knowledge

Gather as much information as possible about how youare behaving. Keep a diary of what is happening and how

you are feeling when you get the urge to self-harm. Overtime you will begin to identify specific thoughts that comeup at this time. In your diary keep a note of how you dealtwith emotions and feelings.

Talking

Try to talk about how you are feeling with someonesupportive. Even though you may feel very lonely thereare others who can help you and understand your pain.Many people find that talking to other people in the sameposition as you helps in stepping towards making yourselffeel better.


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Self-Esteem

Work on building your self-esteem. Remember you arenot to blame for how you are feeling. Selfharming is

expression of your negative feelings. It is not your fault.Make a note of your feelings and try to write positivestatements about yourself and what is going on aroundyou. If you cant think of anything ask your family orfriends to write something down that they like about you.Keep them somewhere where you are able to see themclearly.

Less Stress

Try and find ways to make life less stressful. Giveyourself occasional treats and eat healthy. Try and getplenty of sleep and build physical activities into your day.

This is known to lift your mood and build your spirits.

Telephone Numbers

Have the telephone numbers of friends, family andhelplines where you can easily find them for if you needsto speak to someone in a crisis.

Anger

Try and think about what you do with your anger. If youwere not angry with yourself who would you be angry with.Write down a list of people who have made you feel angry.

Keep telling yourself that you do not deserve punishmentfor what other people have done to you.


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It is useful to line up a row of cushions that represent thepeople who have hurt you. Tell them exactly how theyhave hurt you. Try kicking or hitting the cushions and tellthem you dont deserve punishment. Try if possible to

do this with somebody with you so you dont hurt yourself.

Creativity

Being creative is a good tool against your despair.Whatever makes you feel better and lifts your mood iscreative. This could be anything from painting or drawing.

You may find it uplifting to draw on yourself with brightvibrant colours.

8.WHAT HELP CAN I GET ?If what you are going through is forcing you to deal with

things by hurting yourself, you may find it hard to deal withit any other way. You can move forward and learn to dealwith past events. With plenty of support you can learn tocope with any pain, anger or fear you may be feeling. Theimportant thing is to find ways of talking to somebody.This might be a family member or a friend or a

professional counsellor.


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9.WHAT CAN A COUNSELLOR DO ?

A professional counsellor will help you deal with yourproblems in a different way. You will be given an

opportunity to be heard and listened to.

10.TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR

Your Doctor may offer you a number of treatment choices,including various forms of counselling. One option mightbe Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) which is the

practical treatment that involves looking at what happensto you before you self-harm. You will be encouraged tokeep a diary of when you self-harm.


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Further information

Booklet design by TreeTopsCounselling passionate about supporting Salford young

people with their specialist

Salfords Brighter Futures 1-2-1 counselling and therapeutic group work

Tree Tops Counselling Salford

162 Station RoadSwintonM27 6BT

0161 7945061www.treetopscounselling.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/treestopcounselling
http://www.treetopscounselling.co.uk/http://www.facebook.com/treetopscounsellinghttp://www.facebook.com/treetopscounsellinghttp://www.treetopscounselling.co.uk/


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