This is more common among young men than you think

Are you?

  • Taking extreme risks with your health
  • Getting into fights to make yourself feel better
  • Binge drinking and taking too many drugs
  • Cutting yourself
  • Burning yourself
  • Over-eating/ under-eating
  • Making yourself sick
  • Scratching yourself till you bleed
  • Punching yourself

Why do people self-harm?

There are many different reasons why people self-harm, but mostly it’s about dealing with painful feelings.

People self harm to:

  • Block things out
  • Reduce tension
  • Distract themselves
  • Punish themselves
  • To feel alive
  • To let others know how bad they are feeling.

How to stop?

Self-harming is risky and dangerous, but something can be done about it. Some people speak to their doctor who can make a referral to services that can help. Others find that talking through their problems with someone they know and trust can make a real difference. It stops them bottling things up inside and enables them to talk about difficult feelings and experiences – this can help prevent them from hurting themselves.

Places to get help:
Click here for a self help guide on Self Harm
Click here for our Self Harm Advice Section
Click here for our Self Harm Links section

Click here for a useful booklet on self harm from MIND
The Samaritans 08457 909090 or go to www.samaritans.org
Go to http://www.recoveryourlife.com/
Go to www.firstsigns.org.uk

Click here to tell us what you think about this site and our content