

What is self-harm?
Self-harm is when a person feels the need to hurt themselves, and people can self-harm for different reasons. It can be to deal with strong emotions, like anger or sadness or unbearable tension that they feel unable to cope with.
Sometimes it’s to punish themselves for things they feel guilty about or to gain attention. It can also be due to intrusive thoughts, or to make them feel like they have some sort of control.
Whatever the reason there is generally, but not always, an underlying cause that triggers it, and it can be a precursor of suicidal thoughts or suicide.
Cause
The need to self-harm can affect anyone, but it is more frequent but not exclusive to the following groups:
Physical Symptoms
Psychological Symptoms
Behavioural Changes
When people start to self-harm they can become withdrawn or secretive in an attempt to hide it. They might seem anxious or depressed and might communicate less than they previously did. They often fail to take care of their wounds and injuries which can lead to infection.
Self Help
It can be difficult for people to stop self-harming as they may feel they have no other way to deal with their emotions. Whether they decide to stop or try to reduce the amount or severity of their self-harming, the decision should always be theirs.
Distraction techniques can prove helpful as a form of self-help which you can try the next time you feel the need to self-harm.
Talking to family or friends can be difficult but there is information available on-line, including organisations that can provide help and advice.
Professional Health
Try to seek help from your doctor, whilst medication is not prescribed for self-harm it could be for any undiagnosed mental health issues.
They can also recommend therapies like problem solving therapy, psychodynamic therapy and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) all of which can be helpful in overcoming your need to self-harm.
Written by Jan, Jeana and Wendy at Barnsley Hypnosis and Counselling (UK). For more free information click above link.