What does self-injury mean and what is the difference to self-harm?
Self-harm is a term that can cover a broad range of behaviours. It involves an individual causing deliberate pain or damage to their own body. At times, unfortunately, severe forms of self-harm can result in suicide, as it can be that as the frequency of self-harm increases, as does the severity, which at times can lead to accidental death.
Self-harm can involve different types of behaviours along with varying frequency. Common types of self-harm may include, cutting, burning, head banging, inserting foreign objects and ligaturing. Engagement in these types of behaviours typically indicates that an individual is experiencing intense emotional distress.
Self-injury is often an interchangeable term for self-harm behaviour, however it can indicate that an individual is harming themselves without suicidal intent.
What can cause someone to consider/do self-injury?
Reasons for engaging in self-harming behaviour can vary from individual to individual. The most common antecedents may include difficulties expressing and coping with intense emotional distress, coping with negative or intrusive thoughts, self-esteem difficulties, or to create a feeling of control.
There are various causes of intense emotional distress, these can vary from past traumatic experiences such as abuse, to experiencing complex mental health difficulties that may make an individual more vulnerable to difficult emotions.
What you should do if you notice your loved one is self injuring?
If you notice your loved one is self-harming, the advice would be to firstly validate how they are feeling ensuring that they feel safe and listened to (be careful not to be critical of the individual), and then to contact the GP for further advice.
What are self-care alternatives to self-injury?
Self-care alternatives would include engaging in activities that they enjoy to pose as a distraction to divert their mind from uncomfortable thoughts. These activities might include reading, going for a walk, arts and crafts, engaging in physical activity, and playing games with family members/loved ones.
Where can you go to for support if you are suffering from self-injury?
It is important that if you are suffering with urges to engage in self-harm behaviour that you talk to somebody who you can trust. This may be a loved one, or a professional such as a GP or a mental health professional. who may be able to offer advice on treatment that is available.
There are also multiple organisations that aim to support people suffering with urges to self-harm, including Mind, Young Minds and Harmless.