Self-harm: More teenagers are using it to cope

In the news: Self-harming teenagers | Teenagers and stress

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A shocking new survey suggests that many teenage girls feel under so much pressure that they are turning to cutting and burning themselves as a way of coping.

Why is self-harm in the news?

Girl Guiding UK surveyed more than 350 girls aged between 10-14 and then did a series of in-depth focus groups as well. They found that 40% of girls thought that self-harming was a normal way to deal with stress and difficult emotions. 45% felt very anxious about exams, the pressure to conform to celebrity culture and to grow up too quickly.

There has been other research that backs up the findings. ChildLine has reported a rise in calls to their helpline about self-harm and according to recent statistics Britain has the highest rates of self-harming teens in Europe. It's estimated that three teenagers deliberately harm themselves every hour.

What is self-harm?

It's doing something to hurt yourself to relieve stress and pressure, or to distract yourself from traumatic experiences or difficult emotions. Self-harm usually involves cutting the arms, top of the legs and stomach. But it can also involve burning these areas with cigarettes, candles or hot metal objects, repeatedly pulling out the hair or swallowing objects or toxic substances.

Where did this self-harm idea come from?

Some people believe that self-harming has been made popular by a sub youth culture called Emo. This stands for Emotional Hardcore and it originated in the States. However, self-harm was not invented by Emo bands. It's a well documented mental health distress-call and has been seen in people suffering from trauma, stress and depression for hundreds of years.

Why do teenage girls feel the need to self-harm?

In the survey many of them said that they felt great pressure to look like glamorous celebrities. Achieving good grades at school and college contributed to their stress. Bullying and family breakdown were very common causes of distress and trauma too.
This problem isn't just associated with girls, boys self-harm too and there's been an increase in reported cases of boys harming themselves for the same reasons.

Why do they do it?

Whenever the body is injured in some way it releases chemicals, which make us feel calm and happy. The problem with self-harm is that this feeling can be addictive.

Self-harmers also feel that cutting or burning themselves releases emotional pain that they feel too stressed, ashamed or upset to talk about. A physical injury also gives them something else to focus on and a physical representation of their pain.

Is it just a suicide attempt or a cry for attention?

In the majority of cases it's not an attempt on their life but it is a cry for help. It's a sign that something is bothering them and they don't know hope to cope or where to go for help.

How do we know if our teenager is self-harming

There may be the common signs of stress and depression, such as becoming withdrawn, having mood swings, over or under eating, drinking or taking drugs. Plus there'll be wounds and scars on their body, usually the arms, where they have hurt themselves.