What Can Help?

Think about what your self-injury is saying about your feelings and your life.  This will give you clues about problems you need to work on.  You might find it helpful to talk about your self-injury and what lies behind it with friends or a counselor.  to find out about counseling, you could ask your G.P., Women's Centre, rape or sexual abuse support service, MIND group, library, Wellwoman clinic, or Citizen's Advice Bureau.

If you want to help someone who self-injures

Naturally you may feel upset, shocked or angry when someone you care about hurts herself.  Try to keep seeing the person in pain behind the injuries.  The most precious thing you can offer are acceptance and support.  Let your friend know you understand that self-injury is helping her to cope at the moment.  She is not "bad" or "mad" for doing it.  You could invite her to talk about her feelings, or to call you if she is having a difficult time.  But offer only as much as you can cope with, and don't try to take responsibility for stopping her from hurting herself.