If you didn’t already know, as well as being St. Davids day it is also self harm awareness day.
First patron of the charity is comedian and novelist Jo Brand who you may not have known used to work as a mental health nurse.
As well as this the National Self Harm Network has launched their new helpline which runs from 7pm-11pm daily on 0800 622 6000.
Based in Nottingham the charity offers its services nationwide and focuses on support and distraction enabling people to seek alternatives to self harm. As well as this the charity runs an online support network serving over 2500 members where members can receive help from peers who are also suffering.
Self harm is difficult to define as it take so many different forms however in general self harm is known as the act of deliberately causing harm to oneself either by causing physical injury, by putting oneself in dangerous situations and/or self neglect.
Some of the many different forms that self harm can take include cutting, burning, biting, substance abuse, taking person risks, scratching, pulling out hair, eating disorders and over dosing and self poisoning.
There are many different reasons why a person may begin harming themselves and there are no stereotypes about in terms of gender, age or race. However most commonly self harm is used as a coping strategy and can provide a release from emotional distress and help someone to feel in control again.
One anonymous self harmer said, “I think it’s somewhat of a release when you do it, you know you’ve not really dealt with your feelings properly but you have dealt with them in a way that’s possibly the only way you can see at the time.”
Danielle Almond
