Self Harm Awareness Day 1st March
What is Self Harm
Self Harm is when you hurt yourself on purpose; you usually do it because something else feels wrong, and it feels like the only way to let those feelings out.
It is very common behavior in young people and affects around 1 in 12 young people with 10% being aged 15-16 years old. If you self harm it is usually because of the result of another problem; it can happen if you are feeling anxious, depressed, stressed or bullied, and you feel like you don’t have any other way of resolving these issues.
On 1st March it is Self Harm Awareness Day also known as Self Injury Day (SIAD)
More and younger children than ever before are self-harming. Counselling sessions from ChildLine are up 167% while the age teens start to worry about self-harm has dropped from 14 to 13.
There is a stigma around self-harm that can stop young people who are worried about self-harm from looking for help. Part of this stigma comes from the misconceptions that surround it, such as the idea that boys don’t self-harm – they do – or that it is attention-seeking. It is not easy to just stop self-harming and we continue these annual campaigns to make more people aware of it and make it easier for young people to get help and get through it.
Awareness leads to understanding, and empathy banishing judgment and fear, and reducing the number of people who feel alone and suffer in silence. Raising awareness is about educating people who do not self injure / self harm, and reaching out to people who do.
Young Minds Self Harm Awareness Day works alongside three other charities, Childline, The Mix and Selfharm UK.
https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/your-feelings/self-harm/
https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/feelings-and-symptoms/self-harm
https://www.wirralsafeguarding.co.uk/self-harm/
