Treatment Of Self-Inflicted Injuries
*Please note that this page is graphic in the description of wounds and may be triggering*
Although it would be better if there were no injuries at all, it is still important to correctly treat any self-inflicted wound with the care and attention you would a normal wound.  If you have harmed yourself, plead read this information carefully and decide on the appropriate treatment.  Although medical intervention should be used when necessary, it is often not as easy as it seems to go and ask for help.  Because of this I will also include methods of treatment which I have found useful, even though they are perhaps not conventional methods.  Infection is one of the main risks associated with self-harm, and although you can never certainly prevent an infection, using clean blades (if you need to cut at all) and cleaning wounds thoroughly afterwards will help.
Head Banging - People who head-bang can cause serious injury to themselves.  Concussion if not treated immediately can cause death, so it is very important you get help.
 
If you have inflicted harm to your face or head and you begin to experience blurred or double vision, mental confusion, dizziness, nausea, and/or extreme sleepiness please get medical help immediately as you could be at serious risk.
Burns - Burns require special treatment because of the high risk of becoming infected.

Chemical burns should be washed thoroughly with water for at least 10 minutes and it is recommended that you see a Dr, as some chemicals can react adversely to certain ointments and even open air.

Burns are usually very painful.  To help reduce the pain and to prevent further tissue damage you should put the burnt area under a cold running tap or immerse it in cold water. Applying a cold compress is also helpful e.g. ice cubes wrapped in a clean cloth and held on the burn.  After the burn has been treated with cold water for at least 10 minutes, you should loosely apply a clean, non-fluffy dressing to the wound.  Elevating the injured part will help to reduce the swelling.  It is essential to keep a burn clean as they become easily infected.  You should not puncture or drain any blistering or coat the wound with butter/margarine or any other ointments or salves as this can increase the risk of infection.

Usually burnt skin looks red and inflamed and is very painful to touch.  If however the burn is more serious and the skin has actually died, it will look white and leathery and there will be no sensation left.  This is serious and you need to see a Dr, because skin grafting may be necessary.  As a general rule, burns to the hands and face should always be seen by a Dr because they can cause bad scarring and restriction of movement.  Any large burns e.g. more than an inch or so in diameter, should also be seen by a Dr.
Cuts - How much damage is done when a cut is made depends largely on how deep it is and where the cut is made.  Most cuts damage some blood vessels so bleeding will occur, but usually this can be stopped by applying pressure to the would with a clean cloth or dressing. 

If however a cut is more deep and severe you may have damaged a vein or artery.  Blood from veins is very dark in colour, almost purple, and it flows out of the wound.  Some bigger veins will produce a lot more blood than the smaller ones and it can be difficult to stop.  If an artery is cut or damaged the blood is generally much brighter red in colour, than blood from veins.  Blood from an artery will squirt out of the wound in time with your heart beat.  If you have cut or damaged a large vein or artery, there will be a lot of blood, and you need to get emergency treatment as soon as possible, as the bleeding can be very hard to stop and loss of a large amount of blood can lead to Shock, which is a very serious condition.

To control any bleeding, apply firm, direct pressure to the wound with a clean dressing or cloth.  If blood seeps through the dressing, do not remove it, apply a further dressing over the top of it.  Elevating the injured part can also help control bleeding e.g. if you have a cut to the wrist hold it above shoulder level, rather than letting it dangle by your side.  Bleeding from an artery can be helped be holding the injured part above the level of the heart, as well as applying pressure.

Superficial wounds can generally be left to heal on their own.  Slightly deeper wounds where the skin gapes open a bit, can be closed together with steristrips to lessen scarring.  However should an injury be deep enough that instead of seeing pink or red in its centre, one can see white or yellowish white lumps it is likely that the injury has penetrated all layers of the skin into the natural layer of fatty tissue underneath.  Any injury like this, or a deeper one where muscle is exposed needs urgent medical attention and stitches.

You will also need urgent medical treatment if a tendon or nerve has been cut or damaged. If you expose a tendon, it will look like a white cord.  If you think that you have damaged a tendon, either because you can see the tendon exposed, or because you cannot make certain movements you need to go to a hospital right away.  Damaged nerves will respond in a similar way and your skin will feel numb and certain movements will be difficult to make. 

Broken Bones - If you have hit any part of your body with something or against something hard enough, the chances are you will know if you have broken something or not.  If you think that you have broken a bone, you will be in pain and unable to use that part of your body and you should get to a hospital as soon as possible, because you will need an x-ray and some sort of treatment.

If the part of your body is just badly damaged rather than broken, you can help swelling and bruising by placing a cold compress over the injury and by keeping the injured part elevated.  Not placing huge strain on the injured part will also help it heal.
Overdoses - Ingesting inedible or toxic substances is a potentially deadly form of self-harm and should always involve immediate medical attention afterwards.  There is no question of home treatment here, you need specialist treatment.

Other overdoses on e.g. paracetamol, no matter how small, should also be seen to by a Dr.  It is surprising how few some people have to take before they die, and you just never know how your body will handle it.  If you are taking frequent small overdoses you need to see a Dr as you could be causing yourself serious liver damage and if you take a larger overdose there is also no question that you need to get to a hospital as soon as possible.
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Infections - To prevent an infection all you can do is keep it very clean.  This means not touching and fiddling around with it, not removing the dressing all the time to look at it, just let it heal on its own.  Keeping the wound dry will also help, especially if you have a dressing on it.  You can clean a wound with sterile water.  To make this boil some water, add a bit of salt to it, let it cool and then clean the wound or you can buy disinfectant from any pharmacy.

If an injury begins to appear red and inflamed around the edges, is hot to touch, starts to swell and throb with pain or begins to seep pus, infection is highly likely and you should see a Dr as you may need anti-biotics.  Although most infections are mild, you can get some very serious and nasty ones, and treatment is essential.