+ What is Self-Harm?

Self-harm, also known as non-suicidal self-injury, is unfortunately more common than you might think. Approximately two million cases of self-harm and self-injury are reported annually in the U.S. For some people depression and anxiety can lead to a tornado of emotions. Self-harm gives people a release from these painful emotions.

• Teens, preteens and young adults comprise a majority of these 2 million people.
• 1 in 5 children between 10 and 18 years old are engaging in intentional self-harm, such as cutting, burning, or hitting themselves.
• 50 % of teens who engage in self-mutilation will carry on well into their 20s
• Females comprise 60% of those who engage in self-injurious behavior.
• Since 2010, cutting and self-harm has increased 62% for older teen girls and 189% for pre-teen girls according to Netflix’s award-winning documentary, The Social Dilemma. The documentary also cites suicide in older teen girls is up 70% and in pre-teen girls 151% since the first decade of this century.

+ Signs someone is Self-Harming?

• Suspicious/unexplainable cuts, wounds, or scars
• Multiple wounds in the same place on your child’s body
• Collecting or frequently carrying lighters or sharp tools such as razors, nail clippers, safety pins
• Wearing long-sleeved shirts in warm weather
• Wearing a lot of adhesive bandages
• Bloody tissues or bandages hidden at the bottom of trash cans
• Spending time isolated in their room
• Refusing to let you see their arms, legs, or other parts of the body that are usually exposed
• Abnormal obsession with social media

+ Why someone Self-Harms?

• As a way of alleviating emotional distress by channeling internal pain into external pain.
• Feeling so emotionally numb that the pain of self-harm can be a mechanism to elicit feeling anything at all.
• To use physical pain as a distraction from emotional turmoil
• Uncontrollable feelings of guilt or shame
• A diminished sense of self, including feeling helpless or worthless
• Addiction to the behavior

+ What to do if you or someone you know is Self-Harming?

• Please, please get help immediately. Tell a school counselor, friend, authority figure, anyone. I know it is hard to reach out but there are people out there who can help.

Below are online resources to begin the journey to a self-harm-free life.

https://www.crisistextline.org/

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now

https://namivirginia.org/mental-health-resources/crisis-info

REMEMBER, FOR EVERYONE SELF-HARM IS ALWAYS A CRY FOR HELP!

+ What are the long-term effects of Self-Harm?

• One thing is consistent: Self-harm is a high-risk behavior that, if unaddressed, can result in permanent scarring, disfigurement, and accidental death.
• Isolation
• Becoming ostracized from loved ones who may not understand
• Interpersonal difficulty from lying to others about injuries