Self-injury is a specific form of self-harm, whereby a person deliberately inflicts wounds upon themselves, usually with the intention of causing and feeling pain.

The following are some common forms of self-injury:

• Cutting
• Scratching the skin
• Burning the skin using heat
• Burning the skin using chemicals
• Picking at wounds
• Pulling hair out
• Ingesting small amounts of toxic substances to cause damage, but with no intention to die.

It is more common amongst women, but men do self-injure as well. It often starts between the ages of 16-25, but it can start later. It occurs in women and men from all different backgrounds, of all ages and from all social classes. However, one common theme appears to be that the individual has often experienced abuse of some kind, usually during their childhood, or that the individual has great difficulty with sharing/ expressing their feelings.

Self-Injury is a subject which people are generally uncomfortable with and even many professionals in caring fields, have difficulty in understanding the underlying causes of self-injury. It is often met with a punitive approach and this is largely due to the misunderstanding of why people self-injure. Although there is no single reason, self-injury usually develops as a way of coping with feelings - distress, anger, shame, guilt etc. However, it is often perceived as:

• A sign of manipulative behaviour
• Attention seeking

These commonly held misconceptions can isolate the person and prevent them from seeking any kind of help. As such, self-injury is usually a secretive act as people are scared of the harsh response that they will get from others. In general, people self-injure as a way of coping with distressing feelings. This can be as a result of issues such as abuse and in particular, sexual abuse. As unlikely as it may seem to other people, self-injury is a coping mechanism and it is important to work on healthier ways of coping with feelings, before looking at stopping the behaviour completely.

The reasons are different for each individual, but these are some common ones:

• To escape from emptiness, depression
• Relief from intense feelings. By causing pain it can 'distract' from the feelings inside
• Expression of emotional pain
• Escape from numbness, to feel something, to know that they are still alive and capable of feeling
• Continuation of abuse patterns - it can be a way of punishing oneself
• Bio-chemical relief, addiction model
• To gain or maintain influence over the behaviour of others
• Exert a sense of control over one's body
• To avert a suicide attempt (it is worth noting here that self-injury and suicide are not the same thing. Self-injury can represent the prevention of a suicidal period, and can be a survival strategy)

It is important to acknowledge that it is not easy to talk about self-injury, but also make it clear that it is ok to talk about it. Most people feel ashamed and embarrassed about their self-injury, so it is important to provide opportunities to talk about it in a safe and non-judgemental way. It is ok to express that you are concerned, or that you do not understand it, as long as you also express that you will listen to what is said and accept what you are hearing. However, ideally, it is also important to make it clear that self-injury can be understood, that there are reasons for it and that it is not uncommon. It can help simply to know that a person is not alone and to know that other people self-injure too.

Some people find their self-injury reassuring, like a safety net and will become alarmed and more distressed if they feel that someone is going to attempt to take it away from them. Others find it reassuring to know that there is hope, that it is possible to stop and that this process can be worked on at a pace that is 'right' for them. Self-injury can mean different things for different people and there is no single reason why people do it, so don't assume anything.

To gain more information about Self-injury, please follow the link to the National Mind Information leaflet called Understanding Self-injury