How to seek help for self-injury?

 

It can be difficult for adolescents who self-injure to seek help for the behaviour. However, even if you have engaged in self-injury once or twice and feel that you can control the behaviour, or even if you have only thought about engaging in self-injury, it is important that you reach out for help. Self-injury may be a sign that you are upset, anxious, or stressed, and that you may need some strategies to cope better with what is going on in your life. Although it can be difficult to seek help for self-injury, it is important that you find someone who you trust and can talk to about your self-injury, such as a parent, teacher, or the school counsellor.

 

Don’t be discouraged if people react to your self-injury in ways that are negative and unhelpful, it can be hard for people who have not self-injured to understand the behaviour, and it may take people some time to understand how they can best help you. Also do not be discouraged if you tell a friend about your self-injury and they then tell an adult about your behaviour. Self-injury is a very serious behaviour and it is important for friends of adolescents who self-injure to seek help on behalf of their friends who self-injure.