Written by rebecca on 18/01/2022 in Uncategorized

Is your child self-harming in ways you haven’t spotted?

Discovering that your child is self-harming is profoundly shocking and upsetting for every parent; but it’s quite likely that your child is self-harming in ways you haven’t even noticed.

Self-harming is an epidemic that affects young people across the world*: 

1-in-6 young people self-harm in the UK
1-in-5 teen girls self-harm in the USA
1-in-4 teen girls self-harm in the Australia 

Types of self-harm
Most of the coverage of self-harm in the media focuses on cutting, referencing children with self-inflicted wounds on their arms. But the reality is, this is only one form of self-harm, and many other forms get overlooked. 

The following list will help you identify other ways that your child may be self harming:

Most Common

Scratching Pinching Cutting
Burning Hair pulling  Ripped skin

Less Common and often overlooked

Eating too much/too little Excessive   exercise  Isolating themselves

These often overlooked examples are ways that young people self-harm, affect their bodies and their health over longer periods of time.

Aggressive Behaviour
Another set of behaviours that can be neglected are aggressive tendencies such as:–    Punching walls             

–  Getting into fights
–   Breaking objects with their body
–   Putting themselves in risky situations

Notice anything worrying about these less obvious aggressive types of self-injury?
These behaviours are often used to describe ‘boisterous’ teenage boys. As a parent, you might find yourself dismissing your sons’ careless behaviour as just ‘boys being boys’. Whilst self-harm amongst boys is often overlooked, it may be because this is their way of injuring themselves.
Have you noticed some of these commonly overlooked examples? You’re not alone. 70% of children/adolescents who repeatedly self-harm use multiple methods – anywhere between    2 – 4**. 

Why do young people self-harm?
The reasons behind self-injury are complex and unique to each child, because each child/adolescent self-harms for different reasons. Keep in mind that you are not to blame and that your child is probably using it as a coping mechanism for overwhelming emotions and stress they’re experiencing.
Some of the most common reasons include:

They are struggling to keep up with school work

They may feel lonely

They may be being bullied

They may have an underlying mental health difficulties

And many more everyday stressors

Identifying these behaviours and trying to understand a child’s experiences can be very difficult for some parents. The Youth Mental Health Foundation’s free course helps parents gain a perspective into their child’s circumstances and play an active role in their child’s recovery.
 
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We will be publishing an article on ‘Common myths about self-harm ‘’ in our blog very soon. This will give you a better understanding about many of the misconceptions about self-harm and how to understand your child’s self-harming in more detail – so watch this space.
P.S. Make sure you CHECK OUT the FREE resources we got available for parents of self-harming tweens and teens here:
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE BOOKLET and learn how a mother led her self-harming teenage child back to health & happiness: www.YouthMentalHealthFoundation.org/e-book
SIGN UP TO OUR FREE COURSE 
Learn how YOU can support your self-harming child’s healing: https://www.youthmentalhealthfoundation.org/onlinecourse
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Rachel
Research and Community Executive
 

Written and illustrated by Asha Sullivan