How children and young people self-harm
Self-harm might be an attempt by an individual to end their life, but for the majority acts of self-harm are not intended to be suicidal.
- In teenagers, self-injury is twice as common as self-poisoning
- Cutting is by far the most common means of self-injury. This can be done with a knife, razor blade or any other sharp object that can scrape or penetrate the skin. Less common methods include burning or stabbing oneself
- A small additional percentage will have intentionally taken a dangerously large amount of an illicit drug or have poisoned themselves with some other substance.
Angela's story"Most of the time when I self-harmed I'd pull out my hair and use hair extensions to hide it. I used to scratch myself, either with a paperclip or a pin on my upper arm so my parents wouldn't find out. I also used to miss school, because I hated it there. I would tend to drink when I didn't go to school and that helped to block things out. I think, looking back it was all just a way of coping with everything."
Tim's story"I mainly use a knife or a razor, although I've used broken glass before. I just get so angry and tense, that I feel like I want to explode. I guess cutting kind of gives me a relief from that. The problem is that now I have got quite a few scars on my arms and my legs and I reckon when people see it they think I should be in a mental hospital or something like that? So I always try and cover it up with my clothes. I hate P.E. cause they all stare at me. I know exactly what they are thinking and it just makes me feel even worse."
[Biographical account read by actors]