Self-Harm Self Help Guide

What is self harm?

A form of coping with negative emotions. A way of releasing the internal pain, by inflicting the pain or harm onto ourselves. For many individuals it is an emotional escape or a sense of gaining control to block out the painful thoughts and become graounded in the here and now.

It can take form in many ways:

Cutting
Scratching
Burning
Over / under eating
Overdosing on alcohol / drugs
Over working
Over exercising
Neglecting emotional / physical wellbeing
Biting oneself
Inserting objects
Risk taking behaviours

Myths of Self-harm

There are many myths surrounding self-harm, which can be quite emotionally distressing for individuals.

Some include:

Self-harm is done intentionally
Seen as attention seeking
Done to lead to suicide (the risk of suicide is still there)
Done to manipulate those around us
Stereotypes of young teenage girls going through a phase
That it can just be stopped
Individuals who self-harm enjoy the pain

How does self-harm impact survivors?

Sexual violence is traumatic and can impact individual’s self-esteem and confidence in many ways. Many survivors can feel isolated due to the lack of support or not having the opportunity to talk about the complex and painful feelings associated with the trauma. Therefore, self-harm can be a way to cope with those intense feelings of betrayal, anger, pain and isolation. However, this coping strategy may ‘help’ in short-term and can be problematic over time. It is really important to understand the physical health consequences from self-harming. For example, injury, infection and addiction.

Survivors may have to cope with other individual’s negative attitudes and lack of understanding surrounding self-harm. These can also include professionals, as they see the behaviour and not the underlying reasons. Their reaction could be shock, anger, negative body language or panic. It is important to be mindful of these individuals as they can be triggering and enforce the anger that may already be within you.

What can you do:

There are a few things that can be done to help manage the thoughts and feelings that lead to self-harming. These can help stop or reduce the urge to self-harm, some include:

Talking to someone supportive and understanding, for instance the RASAC helpline – 0300 303 4787
Focus on the achievements
Reduce the self-blame, stress and anxiety
Journaling
Refer yourself for support sessions or counselling

Some alternative ways of releasing the intense feelings can be:

Tearing up phone books, magazines or newspapers
Punching a mattress or punching bag
Writing a letter or drawing a picture of what’s bothering you and then tearing it up
Going for a walk, run and exercising

To ensure your safety, there are things which can be done to minimise the hurt and injury when self-harming:

Avoid drugs and alcohol. This is to ensure that you don’t accidentally wound yourself more seriously than intended.
Prevent infection. Use something clean when you cut, never share what you use to self-injure. Try to avoid areas where there are major arteries and veins close to the skin,
Place burns under cold water for 20-30 minutes. Losely covering the burn with cling film can act as a temporary dressing. Burn creams and sprays can be bought from your local pharmacist.
Medical attention should be given to burns that are larger than a 50p coin or have penetrated the skin.
Be prepared. Have dressings and antiseptics ready to care for your injuries. It is always good to have a first aid kit nearby, which will also provide more in depth information to look after the wounds, cuts and burns.
You can also seek advice from a trusted peer who knows about first aid or perhaps the nurse/GP.
Call 999. Always call an ambulance if blood is spurting from the wound, wrap it in a clean towel and stay calm.
It is important that you seek immediate medical attention if you believe that your cut, burn or wound has got infected or if the cuts are gaping and deep.

Call an ambulance if you go into shock, as this can be caused if you lose a lot of blood.