What is Self Harm?

For some young people coming to terms with the fact that they might be attracted to someone of the same sex can be difficult, and can lead to depression, isolation and self harming.

The following section aims to give you advice and information.
Listed in the links page are young peoples counselling services that you can call and make appointments to talk through things that might be bothering you. Also some websites with more information that you can access.

Being Lesbian, Gay or Bisexual can be a positive thing - talk things through with somebody you trust. Seek support and advice whenever you need it.

Joining an LGB youth group like LMO will give you the chance to meet others who are going through similar experiences, in a safe space.

Self injury is a coping mechanism, where an individual harms their physical self to deal with emotional pain, or to break feelings of numbness.

The most common forms are:

• Cutting or Burning - The most common forms of self-harm.
• Self - Punching.
• Throwing the body against something.
• Pulling out hair or eyelashes.
• Scratching, picking or tearing at the skin causing sores or scarring.
• Inhaling of sniffing harmful substances.
• Swallowing things that are not edible.
• Inserting objects into the body.

Some people self-harm on a regular basis and others may only do if once or twice. For some people it is part of coping with a specific problem and the self-harming stops when the problem is resolved.

Other people self-harm for years whenever certain kinds of feelings arise.

A few people who self-harm may go on to commit suicide -although generally this is not what they intend to do. In fact self-harming can be seen as the opposite of suicide, as It is often a way of coping with life rather than giving up on it.

Self-harm is more common than people realise. It's impossible to say how many people self harm because:

• Many people do it secretly before finding the courage to tell someone.
• Many of them never ask for counselling or medical help.
• There are no statistics on self harm available.

If you self harm and want to stop, try to find other ways of expressing or coping with your feelings. You could try:

• phoning a friend.
• Writing your feelings down in a diary or 'mood book'.
• Listening to music, reading or 'drawing' your feelings in a 'mood book'.
• Going for a walk or run, dancing, exercising or playing sport.
• Counting down slowly from 10 to zero.
• Breathing slowly, in through nose and out through mouth.
• Focusing on objects around you and thinking about what they look, sound, smell, taste & feel like.

If you still want to hurt yourself try:

• Finding a safe punching bag like a pillow.

• Using a red felt tip pen or lipstick to mark your body instead of cutting.

Getting help

When you decide to get help, you are not alone. Lots of other people who have self-harmed have made the same decision and many have been helped to stop hurting themselves. www.selfharm.org.uk