Self Harming - a problem for schools?

Self harm is a complex problem and self harmers are extremely complex people. Their behaviour would seem to fall outside the norm; and yet its statistical increase suggests that it is becoming frighteningly more prevalent. A study carried out in schools in 2002 found that 11 per cent of girls and 3 per cent of boys aged 15 and 16 said they had harmed themselves in the previous year.I recently talked to a group of about 100 six formers at aPrivate school in the South East. In that group there were around 10 – 12 active serious harmers, boys and girls at varying stages of the condition. Each harmer was involving at least two others in their harming episodes to help with the bleeding, bandaging and emotions once they had cut. This is becoming a huge problem by anyone’s standards and requires considerable professional specialists input in order to develop an education and prevention strategy. Anyone will agree that preventing self harm is preferable than trying to successfully treat it once developed to addictive proportions.

What is self harm?

      Cutting

      Taking overdoses of tablets or medicines

      Punching oneself

      Throwing their bodies against something

      Pulling out hair or eyelashes

      Scratching, picking or tearing at one’s skin causing sores and scarring

      Burning

      Inhaling or sniffing harmful substances

      Self Mutilation 

What is self harm 

This entry was posted on 03/12/2008 at 04:10 pm and is filed under School Talks - Self Harm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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