What is self-harm?
Self-harm is when someone intentionally sets out to harm themselves. This may be an impulsive act or may be planned.
Young people self-harm in different ways with the most common methods being:
- Cutting and scratching
- Self-poisoning
- Burning
- Hitting or punching oneself
- Head banging and hair pulling
- Engaging in risky behaviour
Around half of young people who self-harm will harm themselves more than once.
Last updated: 15 August, 2016