Self Harm Myths & Facts

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Myth: Self-harm is just a way of attention seeking.

Fact: Self-harm is a coping strategy. People self-harm because they are finding something difficult and painful. They could also be trying to show that something is wrong. They need to be taken seriously.
Myth: Self-harm is rare in young people.

Fact: Lots of people self-harm. There is lots of secrecy around self-harm and because many young people do not tell anyone, it is hard to know exactly how many are self-harming. The Royal College of Psychiatrists (1999) found that as many as one in 10 teenagers have deliberately self-harmed.
Myth: Young people self-harm over trivial reasons.

Fact: All self-harm should be treated seriously. People self-harm to different extremes as it is a coping strategy and everybody is unique. The extent of the self-harm is not necessarily a reflection of the seriousness of the person’s difficulties.
Myth: Once you have self-harmed you cannot stop.

Fact: People can self-harm just once or twice. Some use self-harm over a long period of time. The frequency of the self-harm varies. Many people do stop self-harming but only when they are ready. This could be when they sort their problems out or when they find other ways to deal with their feelings.

Source: The Learning Mentor’s Source & Resource Book, Kathy Salter and Rhonda Twidle, Paul Chapman Publishing, 2006.
http://www.mandbf.org.uk/.