Self-harm
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This section mentions how people can hurt themselves. It can be upsetting or triggering to read about how people self-harm, so skip this section if you need to.
There are lots of different ways people can hurt themselves. This can include cutting, burning or scratching your skin or taking an overdose. Self-harm isn’t always obvious, and can include things you might not think of as self-harm such as over-exercising, misusing drugs or alcohol, not eating, getting into fights or having unsafe sex.
Anyone can self-harm, but it’s more common in:
- women and girls
- young people
- people with a mental health problem such as depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder or an eating disorder
- LGBTQI+ people, possibly because of the stress of stigma and discrimination
- prisoners, asylum seekers and veterans of the armed forces
- people who experienced abuse as a child
- people who have been bereaved by suicide.
Why do people self-harm?
There are many reasons why you may self-harm. It may be ho...
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