Self-harm and self-abuse cover a wide range of behaviours. It can range from neglecting to take care of your personal hygiene to self harming – such as cutting, taking poison or deliberately driving dangerously. People who self-harm may have low self-esteem and show signs of depression. People who abuse or harm themselves often do so to attempt to manage very difficult emotions, memories, situations or experiences which they feel are too overwhelming to address. This can become a way to physically express the pain which they feel they can’t acknowledge or speak about. Self-harm and self abuse may be a cry for help, particularly if it involves suicidal feelings and behaviours. Ultimately, these behaviours can make emotional and psychological distress worse. This means the underlying causes are never addressed. People who self abuse and self-harm often need specialist support to help them address the challenging and complex issues. They can also help you understand the experiences and events that have led to this behaviour. At The Eaves, our specialist therapists can work with you and help you towards a life free of self-harm.
Self-harm is when you hurt yourself as a way of dealing with very difficult feelings, painful memories or overwhelming situations and experiences.
There are lots of different forms of self-harming. Some people use the same one all the time, other people hurt themselves in different ways at different times.
Many young people self-harm, and many other people find this behaviour incredibly hard to comprehend or know what to do to help. However, research shows that the way the person is responded to the first time they tell someone they are self-harming, will affect their future likelihood of asking for help.