TRIGGER WARNING: De-bunking the 'attention seeking' myth around self-harm

Societally, we have made seismic shifts in the way we view and discuss many mental illnesses thanks to more medical information proving the seriousness of mental health issues. However, a view that is still held by many, is that self-harm is an attempt to get attention rather than a manifestation of mental illness.

This view is detrimental for those battling with self-harm as it can be isolating and lead the sufferer to avoid seeking help. Self-harm can become fatal if left untreated, so it’s imperative that sufferers feel as though they can reach out if they need to.

Statistically, many self-harmers are teens and young adults, meaning parental understanding plays a huge role in the sufferer receiving help – if as a society we can improve the way we understand self-harm hopefully more parents will be equipped to aid their children if one day they need to.

Self-harm is a symptom of many common mental illnesses including anxiety, depression, and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Research has shown that 20% of people who self-injure have a personality disorder, 11% have a mood disorder (such as bipolar disorder or depression), and 55% have some kind of eating disorder. These statistics prove that, often, self-harm is a demonstration of an underlying illness and not for attention.

Other reasons for self-harm are unclear but, according to the NHS, self-injury is a way to ‘express or cope with emotional distress’ and can be used in response to any emotional trauma, such as bullying or grief. It’s difficult to obtain accurate statistics of self-injury as many people who do are ashamed of it and keep it hidden, however, we do know that around 1 in 5 females and 1 in 7 males engage in self-injurious behaviours each year meaning that it is a large issue in society today.

Medically, self-injury has been recognised to have an endorphin release similar to that of drugs and can therefore become addictive. Many people who engage in self-injuring behaviours for extended periods of time struggle to resist the urge to harm themselves again; this makes recovering incredibly difficult and often non-linear.

For a lot of self-harm sufferers, relapses are common and often come with lots of guilt. Despite this, self-harm is not widely recognised as an addiction and subsequently, those close to the sufferer struggle to understand why their loved one may find it so difficult to stop. Due to this lack of understanding, many people blame themselves if someone close to them is self-harming which can lead to the sufferer becoming secretive to avoid upsetting others.

Unfortunately, self-harm can be fatal despite many who engage in self-injury doing so without the intention of committing suicide. With self-harm being the biggest cause of death in 20-24-year-olds and currently one of the most common reasons for general hospital admissions, the severity of this illness is clear.

Not only are self-harmers at risk for unintentional death, but if wounds are not treated correctly there is a risk of infections and sepsis. Due to the serious impacts that self-harm can have on a person’s general well-being, it is important that sufferers feel they can reach out without judgement for help, especially if they find themselves in an unforeseen dangerous circumstance.

Ultimately, the way that we perceive and discuss mental illnesses within society has improved remarkably over the last two decades, however, we still have a long way to go. If we acknowledge the struggles of those around us, we can move to help them and hopefully decrease the number of lives lost, impacted, and changed at the hands of mental illness.

If you feel as though you need to seek further advice or support, below are some helplines and important resources:

Samaritans: 116 123 or https://www.samaritans.org/

CALM: 0800 58 58 58 or https://www.thecalmzone.net/

Papyrus: 0800 068 41 41 or https://papyrus-uk.org/

SHOUT: Text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258

Edited by Olivia Warburton