What to do next?

 

Once you become aware of or suspect that your friend has self-injured, it is important for you to talk openly and honestly to your friend about your concerns and encourage them to seek help from a trusted adult, such as a parent, teacher, or the school counsellor. It may be important for you to remind your friend that there are people who care about them and people who can help them to overcome the behaviour. You can also start helping your friend who has self-injured by talking to the school counsellor, the school principal, or their parents or a teacher about your concerns on their behalf. If your friend does not want to speak to the school counsellor or the school principal, you can help your friend by offering to come with them to the office of the school counsellor or the school principal.

 

Although you may feel that you’d be betraying your friend who has engaged in self-injury, self-injury is a serious problem that can be difficult for friends to deal with alone. However, if your friend has injured themselves in front of you, you need to seek help from the nearest parent, teacher, or other adult immediately. If your friend has injured themselves severely and you believe that their injuries require medical attention or are life-threatening, call 000 immediately, or take them to your local emergency department or healthcare service.