“Oh, he is just seeking attention.” It is common that people assume that self-harmers are attention seeking and overly dramatic. Either they feel triggered by the act or do not know what to do, therefore simply ignore or threaten them to stop when your loved ones self-harm. I know that parents feel lost and helpless as they are unable to support and don’t even know where to start. Please be assured that self-harm is more common than you think. According to the Young Minds Matter survey, around 11% of people aged 12-17 have deliberately hurt or injured themselves without trying to end their life. This is an alarming statistic.
Why do people self-harm? Many people self-harm in order to respond to intense pain, distress or negative memories, thoughts and feelings. It is a way to escape from the reality that causes them stress and troubling situations. Young people face significant amount of distress, challenges and feel stressed due to the pressure from school, peers, and home. Some common triggers are having difficulties with parents or family members, peer pressure, school or work problems, depression, bullying, sexual problems, low self-esteem and drug and alcohol use to list a few. There are many myths surrounding self-harm such as thinking self-harm is an attempt at suicide. This is not true. Most people use self-harm to stay alive rather than end life. However, the risk related to self-harm can consequently lead to death. Those who self-harm is at a higher risk of attempting suicide at some time. This is the reason why we as adults need to be vigilant and seek professional help as soon as possible.
How do we help those who self-harm? The best thing is not ignoring or dismissing their concerns and worries. It is helpful that parents or carers manage their emotions to stay calm and approach the young person with empathy. Making ultimatums to stop their self-harming behaviour is known to be unhelpful and make things worse. Also ask the young person directly if they are feeling suicidal. I know it can be quite confronting for you. This is why Asoka Health is here to support you and your loved ones. We have same-day counselling services to make accessing a mental health professional easy. It is as easy as picking up the phone and calling us. Our mental health professionals can offer support, advice and assess your loved ones either on the phone or in person within the 24-hour timeframe (business day). Asoka Health prides to offer quality, professional mental health services where you will feel confident that your precious stories are kept confidential. Don’t wait 3-6 months to see a psychologist. Getting help earlier means any deep-rooted problems can be detected and your loved one can get appropriate support as soon as possible. We look forward to working with you.
Written by Esther Hockey
Social Worker at Asoka Health
References:
Health of young people – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au)
Orygen The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health: MythBuster Self-harm
Photo:
To Write Love On Her Arms by GirlBehindTheGlasses on DeviantArt