What is self-harm?
Self-harm is when someone intentionally hurts themselves by damaging or injuring their body as a way of dealing with very difficult feelings, or coping with traumatic events or overwhelming situations and experiences.
Self-harming has been described as a “physical expression of emotional distress”. If somebody is feeling overloaded with unhappy emotions, they may find that the physical act of hurting themselves makes them feel better. There are many different factors that may cause someone to self-harm including social factors, trauma, emotional distress or psychological causes. Often self-harm can give the individual a temporary release from their unhappy emotions however it can lead to feelings of guilt or shame.
There are many different forms of self-harm and they are not always easy to notice. People who self-harm usually try to keep it a secret from their friends and family and often injure themselves in places that can be hidden easily by clothing.
If you suspect that a friend or relative is self-harming, look out for any of the following signs:
Self-harm is when someone intentionally hurts themselves by damaging or injuring their body as a way of dealing with very difficult feelings, or coping with traumatic events or overwhelming situations and experiences.
Self-harming has been described as a “physical expression of emotional distress”. If somebody is feeling overloaded with unhappy emotions, they may find that the physical act of hurting themselves makes them feel better. There are many different factors that may cause someone to self-harm including social factors, trauma, emotional distress or psychological causes. Often self-harm can give the individual a temporary release from their unhappy emotions however it can lead to feelings of guilt or shame.
There are many different forms of self-harm and they are not always easy to notice. People who self-harm usually try to keep it a secret from their friends and family and often injure themselves in places that can be hidden easily by clothing.
If you suspect that a friend or relative is self-harming, look out for any of the following signs:
- Unexplained cuts, bruises or cigarette burns, usually on their wrists, arms, thighs and chest
- Keeping themselves fully covered at all times, even in hot weather
- Signs of depression, such as low mood, tearfulness or a lack of motivation or interest in anything
- Changes in eating and exercise habits and any unusual weight loss or weight gain
- Signs of low self-esteem, such as blaming themselves for any problems
- Signs they have been pulling out their hair
- Signs of alcohol or drug misuse
If you are self-harming finding ways to prevent or distract yourself from self-harm may help you get through a difficult time. However, it's very important that you get the support and treatment that you need to help address the underlying cause.
It can feel like a big step to speak to someone you do not know about your feelings or experiences. But with support it may feel easier to make changes that help reduce or stop your self-harm.
Ways to avoid self-harm
Ways to avoid self-harm
- Try talking about your feelings to a friend, family member, trained volunteer or health professional.
- Try working out if feeling a certain way leads to your self-harm, for example, when you're feeling sad or anxious you could try expressing that emotion in a safer way.
- Try waiting before you consider self-harm. Distract yourself by going out for a walk, listening to music, or doing something else harmless to keep you busy as the need to self-harm may begin to pass over time.
- Try calming breathing exercises or other things you find relaxing to reduce feelings of anxiety.
- Write down your feelings. No one else needs to see it.
- Read about mental health and wellbeing, including help for common feelings such as stress, anxiety and depression.
- If you struggle with suicidal thoughts, it may help to make a safety plan to use if you need it. The Staying Safe website has a guide on how to make a safety plan
I am self-harming
Think
- Are you in immediate danger? You can contact the emergency services on 999 (or 112 from a mobile phone).
- Call 0800 129 9999 to contact the NHS Mental Health Crisis Team if you need urgent help, but it's not an emergency.
Talk
- Talk to someone you trust. Talking things through with someone can sometimes help. This could be a friend, family member or someone at City St George's.
- Student Welfare and Engagement Officers are first points of contact for any wellbeing or student experience related issues. Students can discuss any challenges or life-circumstances which may be affecting their wellbeing and ability to engage with their studies.
Report
- Students can report concerns using City St George's Report + Support platform. You can choose to do this without providing your personal details or you can request support from an adviser by filling in the form with your contact details.
Support
Students can connect with staff across the University:
- Student Health and Wellbeing provide students with practical, emotional and specialist disability related support. Students can complete the e-referral form to access these services.
- Student Support Services are a multi-disciplinary team that provides support, expert advice and guidance to students. You can contact them through our Support@City platform
- The Chaplaincy Team offer pastoral support to everyone, welcoming every faith, belief and culture and students with no faith, and can be contacted directly.
- The SU Advice Service offer support for students who have experienced any form of harassment, bullying or sexual violence, either on campus, online or off campus. You can access support here.
Other sources of support
- Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Call 0300 123 3393 or text 86463 (9am to 6pm on weekdays)
- Samaritans (116 123) provides 24-hour confidential emotional support to anyone in distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide.
- Calm Harm is a free app providing support and strategies to help manage the urge to self-harm. It can be downloaded from the App store or Google Play.
- Childline provides a confidential helpline for under 19s. You can call 0800 1111 to speak to counsellor, you can send them an email or log in for a 1-2-1 counsellor chat.
- The Mix offers support for under 25s on a range of topics and through different mechanisms such as a helpline, crisis messenger, one-to-one chat or counselling services .
Someone I know is self-harming
Talk
- Listen. Just taking the time to listen to someone and talk about what has happened to them can help. If someone you know is self-harming, you can encourage them to seek support. It’s important to listen to what they want to do and respect the decision they make. If they do not wish to seek support or report what has happened to them, you can ask them if you can make a report on their behalf without providing their personal details.
- Thank the person for the disclosure and acknowledge that you believe them.
- Give options. When they have finished talking ask them if they are okay to talk through some possible options and next steps. Remember, it is important that they decide what they want to do.
Report
- Students can report concerns using City St George's Report + Support platform. They can choose to do this without providing their personal details or they can request support from an adviser by filling in the form with their contact details.
Get Support
There are many ways to access support at City St George's and a number of external organisations that provide specialist support. You can encourage the person to access the support they need.
Your mental health and wellbeing
If you are supporting someone, make sure you look after yourself. If you’ve heard something distressing or if something is troubling you, you may also want to access support for yourself.
- Vivup, City St George's Employee Assistance Provider (0800 023 9324) - Their telephone helpline provides staff members with expert support for life's ups and downs - 24/7, 365 days a year. Whatever mental, physical, financial or personal issue you're facing, you can find a wide range of resources to help you.
- The Wellbeing@City Hub provides details of additional information and support on wellbeing for staff members.
Student support and resources are available on the Student Health and Wellbeing pages on the Student Hub and students can complete the e-referral form to access these services. Students can also seek support through Student Support Services or contact staff in the Chaplaincy Team directly. Students can also access additional support through the Students’ Union.