Self-harm
Emma Pinn
The statistics on self-harm are alarming - around 40% of adolescents will self-harm at some point or other. The good news is that most adolescents only do it a small number of times. However, for some people it can become chronic and severe. It's important to remember that self-harm is a behaviour, not a disorder, and that people who self-harm may or may not have a diagnosable mental health condition.
Some reasons why people self-harm include:
- To get relief from psychological pain, such as anxiety, sadness, agitation
- To feel something: Some people report feeling numb or nothing and finding this distressing, and use self-harm to feel something (i.e. physical pain)
- To punish: Everyone has an inner self-critic, but for some people self-critical thoughts are overwhelming; self-harming can be a way to reduce guilt, shame, and self-loathing
- To communicate: Emotional pain is invisible. Sometimes self-harm will be done on a visible place on the body in an effort to turn emotional pain into something that can be seen. Self-harming for this reason may be more common in families where feelings and emotions aren't discussed or considered a weakness
- For individual reasons: Self-harm may become a marker of identity, a rite of passage in some adolescent social groups, or a symbol of being part of a group
It's important to understand that self-harm is different to wanting to die, and that many people who self-harm aren't suicidal.
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based therapy with proven effectiveness in reducing self-harm, and many psychologists are trained in providing DBT.
If you have concerns about someone self-harming, you can phone the NSW Mental Health Line on 1800 011 511.