Self-Harm

Self-Harm is one way that some people try to cope with overwhelming feelings. It can take several different forms, such as deliberately cutting or burning yourself, scratching your skin, pulling your hair, overdosing, and other ways of hurting yourself. Some people hurt themselves several times a day, whereas others only do it when they’re under a lot of stress.

Some people are quite open about their self-harming behaviour, while others keep it secret and avoid any activities where their scars can be seen. People who self-harm don’t usually want to end their lives, although some can have thoughts of suicide. Sometimes, but not always, people who self-harm have experienced trauma in their lives.

It can be really hard to stop self-harming, because self-harm can bring a strong sense of relief. This can be hard to resist when you don’t know how else to cope with overwhelming feelings. However, the most important thing to know is that you shouldn’t judge or blame yourself.

Self-Harm is associated with:

Alcohol/Substance Issues, Better Sleep, Dealing with Stress, Improving Your Mood, Loss and Bereavement, Improving Self-Esteem, Managing Emotions, Trauma

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Learn

Tell me more

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Understanding Self-Harm

It’s common for people to harm themselves in some way, by smoking, drinking, eating too much or not enough, exercising too much, or working too hard. But for some people, self-harm is more severe and can become a problem.

VIDEO: Talking about Self-Harm

Here’s a helpful video about self-harm produced by Mind, a mental health charity.

Helping a Loved One who Self-Harms

Whether the person tells you, or you think someone might be hurting themselves, it can be difficult to know how best to approach the situation.

Self-Assess

Tools for self-assessing

Are you self-harming?

Below are some of the experiences commonly described by people who self-harm:

How your body might feel 

Tension
Pressure
Tense or tight in your muscles, headaches
Restless, unable to relax
Trembling

Thoughts you might have 

“I’m bad”
“I’m flawed, worthless, weird”
“I’m disgusting”
“I am not good enough”
“It’s all my fault”

Feelings you might have 

Anger
Guilt
Anxiety
Loneliness
Grief
Numbness or emptiness
Feeling unconnected to the world
Feeling unclean, unworthy, trapped or silenced

Things you might do

Cutting
Burning
Hair pulling
Skin picking
Punching
Biting

If  these sound  familiar, you can find out more about self-harm in the ‘Learn’  section above.

Manage

Ways to manage

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Taking Control of Self-Harm

What leads you to self-harm? Increasing your understanding of the situations, feelings or thoughts that are likely to trigger the urge to self-harm can help you begin to make changes.

Short-Term Solutions to Self-Harming

A ‘safety list’ of solutions that might help you to stop self-harming.

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Self-Help Guide for People who Self-Harm

A self-help guide people who deliberately harm themselves and wish to do something about it.

Self-Harm a Self-Help Guide

This brief self-help guide was developed by the Lothian Psychological Interventions Network. It provides information on what self-harm is and some tips on how to manage it.

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Self-Harm Focussed Apps

We have collated some apps that are useful for managing self-harm.

Tips on Managing Change in Our Lives

We all have to cope and manage with change in our lives for lots of reasons. Here are some tips and thoughts on navigating through a period of change.

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Increase Your Positive Activities

An exercise in helping you find a balance in life and actively putting those positive activities back into your life.

Relaxation

If you feel tense a lot of the time, you can try learning some relaxation skills, as these should be helpful.

Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – CBT – is a psychological therapy based on the relationships between what we think, what we do and how we feel. CBT teaches you how to recognise and tackle problems in the here and now, rather than in the past.

Support

Local support and resources

With support from the people in your life and maybe with a little help from other sources, such as the resources on this website, you’ll most likely find ways to manage, reduce or stop self-harming.

However, depending on how big a part self-harm plays in your coping, you may find it difficult to manage on your own. So, if you’re worried about self-harm, or if you have concerns about your mental health more generally and need further support, please make sure you get in touch with your GP to ask for help.

The following national organisations  focus specifically on trauma and may also be helpful:

Harmless – A user-led organisation that provides a range of services about self-harm, including support, information, training and consultancy to people who self-harm, their friends, families and professionals. www.harmless.org.uk
LifeSIGNS – A user-led self-harm guidance and support network. www.lifesigns.org.uk
National Self Harm Network (NSHN) – 0800 622 6000. Survivor-led online support forum for people who self-harm, their friends and families. www.nshn.co.uk
Self-injury Support  – 0808 800 8088 and 0780 047 2908 (text support). Information and support for women and girls affected by self-harm, trauma and abuse. www.selfinjurysupport.org.uk
Battle Scars – Support for anybody affected by self-harm, people who self-harm, and those supporting them https://www.battle-scars-self-harm.org.uk/
www.selfharm.org.uk – Site dedicated to young people and self-harm. Includes details of helpful organisations, research studies and entries from individuals. Although aimed at young people, this site is also helpful for parents who have children who are self-harming.
www.scar-tissue.net This website has lots of ideas and tips on coping with self-harm.
www.seemescotland.org/links/index.php – A list of useful websites.
www.siari.co.uk – Aimed at supporting the families and friends of people who self-harm.

The Wellbeing Lothian website has been developed to provide information, self-help resources and links to help you manage your mental health and wellbeing.

We want to help you make changes in your own lives and point you in a direction to start doing so. This is Wellbeing Lothian’s aim.

Learn More about Wellbeing Lothian

This website is not intended in any way to replace the advice of a clinician. Specific advice should be sought in specific situations from a properly qualified health worker.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions about our website or are having difficulty finding something in particular, please fill in a few details below and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

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Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership
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East Lothian Health & Social Care Partnership
West Lothian Health & Social Care Partnership

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