Self Harm

Self-harm is defined as deliberate injury to oneself, but this can take place in many different forms. Some people aren’t even aware of the fact that they’re harming themselves, or become so used to doing so that they can’t seem to be able to stop. You may be surprised to know that the UK has one of the highest rates of self-harm in Europe, which is very worrying.

So, what causes people to self-harm? Well, although the real answer could be anything at all, the most common factors are feelings of loss of hope and unhappiness due to bullying, stress, low self-esteem and even the breakdown of important relationships. By harming themselves, many people feel as though they can cope with the release of anger and frustration much more easily than an emotional feeling.

However, it could be that social media has had an impact on strengthening these feelings, with the concept of harming yourself being a subject that a lot of people talk about online. It seems that over time more and more accounts on websites such as Twitter are appearing, with people sharing suicidal thoughts and triggering these in others, which undoubtedly makes the situation worse.

Despite this, there is also a lot of information and advice online for anyone struggling under these circumstances to seek help from others experiencing the same problems. People can access websites like ChildLine or reach out to others via social networks, which would never have been possible years ago. So, this may actually be beneficial for many.

It’s important for the public to know about self-harm and to be aware of the consequences of it, before it’s too late.

This story can be seen in our latest print edition available now BeepVersion2