Self harming why

If you or someone you know are in immediate danger call triple zero immediately or go to the hospital emergency department. You can access support and more information via the following websites and helplines.

It is important you reach out if you need to talk to someone:. If you would like to learn how to support people struggling with the challenges of self-harm and mental illness, consider doing a Mental Health First Aid course.

Prefer to read in languages other than English? The Transcultural Mental Health Centre has mental health resources in other languages. Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content. Self-harm is done by people deliberately hurting their bodies, done in secret and on places of the body that may not be seen by others. Read more on Beyond Blue website. What is self-harm? Self-harm means any behaviour which involves the deliberate causing of pain or injury to oneself — usually as an extreme way of trying to cope with distressing or painful feelings.

Read more on Mi Networks website. If you're worried about self-harming contact Kids Helpline today. Read more on Kids Helpline website.

Self-harm means any behaviour which involves the deliberate causing of pain or injury to oneself — usually as an extreme way of trying to cope with di Read more on ReachOut. Self-harm is a concern for teenagers today. Get tips for supporting you teenager from ReachOut Australia. Read more on Tune In Not Out website. In addition to other forms of support, self-help strategies can be useful in managing urges to self-harm. Read more on Orygen website. It is characterised by ongoing instability in the areas of interpersonal relationships, self-image and impulsivity.

Read more on Ausmed Education website. Despite significant social change and increased inclusion, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex LGBTI people have a far greater risk of suicide than the national population average. Read more on QLife website. Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses, influenced by a range of factors. An eating disorder is an illness marked by irregular eating habits, distress about eating, and an obsession about body weight.

Eating disorders are very serious, have severe health complications and can even be fatal. Risk screening is the process of identifying clients who may be at risk of harm and then minimising any risks that have been recognised. Risk screening can assist in the early detection of potential harm to clients and ensure that care is delivered safely, effectively and appropriately. Authors' conclusions: The available evidence indicates some beneficial effects with second-generation antipsychotics, mood stabilisers, and dietary supplementation by omega-3 fatty acids.

Read more on Cochrane Australasian Centre website. Read more on palliAGED website. Read more on Australian Prescriber website. There are effective treatments for self-harm that can allow a person to feel in control again. Psychotherapy is important to any treatment plan. Self-harm may feel necessary to manage emotions, so a person will need to learn new coping mechanisms.

The first step in getting help is talking to a trusted adult, friend or medical professional who is familiar with the subject, ideally a psychiatrist. A psychiatrist will ask that person questions about their health, life history and any injurious behaviors in the past and present. This conversation, called a diagnostic interview, may last an hour or more.

The more information that person can give, the better the treatment plan will be. Depending on any underlying illness, a doctor may prescribe medication to help with difficult emotions. For someone with depression, for instance, an antidepressant may lessen harmful urges. A doctor will also recommend therapy to help a person learn new behaviors, if self-injury has become a habit.

Several different kinds of therapy can help, depending on the diagnosis. If your symptoms are overwhelming or severe, your doctor may recommend a short stay in a psychiatric hospital. A hospital offers a safe environment where you can focus your energy on treatment. Perhaps you have noticed a friend or family member with frequent bruises or bandages.

If someone is wearing long sleeves and pants even in hot weather, they may be trying to hide injuries or scarring. Keep in mind that this is a behavior that might be part of a larger condition and there may be additional signs of emotional distress.

They might make statements that sound hopeless or worthless, have poor impulse control, or have difficulty getting along with others. This may be a hard subject to understand. If possible, offer to help find treatment.

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It should look at:. A crisis plan gives you steps to take in a crisis such as a number to call or distraction techniques to try. The aim of a crisis plan is to think about what support you need when you are in crisis. Your mental health team should think about giving you 3 — 12 sessions of talking therapy to help you to stop self-harming.

These sessions may start by your therapist helping you to find different ways of coping with painful emotions. Your therapist should work with you to help you find the reasons why you self-harm. Your therapy should be tailored to your needs. There are many different types of therapy. You may be offered:. Ending care with the specialist mental health team When your treatment and care is due to end professionals should:.

You should first speak to your doctor about your treatment. You could ask what other treatments you could try. Tell your doctor if there is a type of treatment that you would like to try.

Doctors should listen to your preference. A second opinion means that you would like a different doctor to give their opinion about what treatment you should have. You can also ask for a second opinion if you disagree with your diagnosis.

But your doctor should listen to your reason for wanting a second opinion. Advocates help you to deal with and overcome issues that you have. They are independent from the NHS and free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard. There are 3 types of advocates that might be able to help if you are unhappy about your treatment. They give information and support to patients and can help you to resolve issues.

You can find your local PALS through this website link: www. This is where your concerns are investigated in more detail. If you go to hospital because of self-harm healthcare staff should urgently assess your mental health.

The assessment is to understand your:. Can I just get treatment for my injuries? What is a risk assessment? A risk assessment should be completed with you to think about any risks. In hospital staff may want to do a risk assessment with you by going through a questionnaire with you. Healthcare professionals will look at different things to work out risk using a scale.

Some of the things healthcare professionals will look at are around the following. What is a needs assessment? This will look at your needs to help you to manage and recover from selfharm. It should look at both your mental health and social care needs.

It will be completed with a mental health specialist. You should work together with the specialist to agree your needs. They should then be put in a written plan. The needs assessment should be passed on to your GP and to any relevant mental health services. This is to help them give you follow up support. Can I leave?

You might be in a healthcare setting like a hospital, or a mental health service, because of self-harm. But you might want to leave. Before you leave professionals should assess you to test your mental capacity and to see if they think you have a mental illness. What will happen after my assessments? The NHS has 3 different options depending on your risk. But it is possible.

The first step is deciding you want to stop and that you are doing this for you. Some people have found it helpful being supported by loved ones to help them stop self-harming. There are different ways to help reduce the amount you self-harm, or to try to stop completely.

Everybody is different and what works for someone else may not work for you. Try different things. Whatever you choose give yourself time, as it may take a while for things to improve. You can think about telling your friends and family that you are trying to stop or reduce your self-harm. You can let them know if there is anything that they can do to support you. You may self-harm straight away when you are distressed.

You can try to delay your self-harm. With this technique, you might not self-harm as badly, as often or at all. This may work because often people react to difficult feelings quickly by self-harming. Give yourself an aim. You can gradually increase the amount of time you wait before selfharming. This might lead to you not self-harming at all. Talk to someone who understands. This could be a friend, a relative or another person who self-harms.

There may be a local support group you can join or a helpline you can ring. You might self-harm for several reasons. You can decide on what techniques work for you best. The NHS make free self-help guide you can use to help you. Here is the link: www. The app is not an aid to treatment. Here is the link to download the app: www. This app is to help give people easy and discreet access to information and advice about selfharm and suicidal thoughts. There is always risk with self-harm.

But you might want to lower the physical damage you do when you self-harm. This is called harm-reduction. There are some suggestions below. You may have scars from your self-harm. You may feel embarrassed, ashamed or feel guilty about your scars. Accepting your scars can be an important part of recovery.

This can take time. If people see your scars they might ask what happened. They may not realise that you have self-harmed. You might deal with things differently depending on who asks you. Be honest You may want to tell people that your scars were caused by self-harm.

You can tell them as much or as little as you want. You could think about some responses you are happy with. There are ways you can treat and disguise scars if you want to. Most scars will fade over time but will never disappear. Not all of these will suit every type of scar. You can talk to your doctor about your scars and how to deal with them.

Keep fresh injuries clean and infection free. Good first aid or care for your wound can reduce scarring. You may be feeling all sorts of different things if someone you know selfharms. Here are some tips on how to deal with the situation and support the person you care about. Self-harm is the way the person you care for deals with their distress.

Be honest with yourself about how the self-harm makes you feel. It is ok to feel whatever you feel. You may feel frightened, uncomfortable and provoked. Take time to process your feelings around your relative selfharming.

Try not to react to stressful or emotional situations with anger or blame. If your relative wants to talk to you about their self-harm the main thing to do is listen to them. You can ask them what help they want. You may have a better understanding of what the person is going through if you educate yourself. You could contact mental health and self-harm charities for information.

Or read books or join a support group. Tell them you care for them if they self-harm or not. If possible, make sure they have a safe place. Be as available as you can be. Set aside your personal feelings about self-harm and focus on what's going on for them. Be honest and realistic about what you can and can't do.

Offer the person support if you think that you can help with something. You may think about removing sharp objects or pills from the house. This can be an option if the person feels suicidal and you need to do something in a crisis.

At other times this may not be helpful as for many self-harm is a coping technique. It is likely to make them feel more alone. Accepting and understanding that someone is in pain doesn't make the pain go away.

But it can make it more bearable for them to know that someone understands. Be hopeful about the possibilities of finding other ways of coping rather than self-harm. If they are willing, discuss possibilities for treatment with them.

They will decide when they feel the time is right. Be patient. You might find it difficult if the person rejects you at first, but they may need time to build trust. Take care of yourself. Don't be afraid to take a break. If you are a carer, friend or relative of someone who self-harms, you can get support. You can use online forums, support groups and telephone support services. Support groups for friends and family of people with mental health problems may be useful.

While they may not only focus on selfharm, group members will understand how a caring role can affect you. Look in our Useful Contacts section below for contact details of some helpful services or search on the Carers Trust website:.

It explains what they found about why people self-harm and ways to support people. You can download it from their website. Website : www. You can download it for free from their website. DBT self-help The website has been created by people who have been through dialectical behavioural therapy DBT rather than by health professionals. The Scarred Soul: Understanding and Ending Self-inflicted Violence — by Jan Sutton This is a book that has new research, statistics, diagrams, some resources, case studies and practical self-help activities.

She writes about what helped her distract herself and overcome her self-harming behaviour. National Self-harm Network An online forum where you can chat with other people affected by self-harm. 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.