Self harming and teenagers: Help and support

Self harming has seen a sharp rise among children and young people over the past 20 years. The young people in question - known colloquially as "cutters" - often see self harming as a means of channelling and controlling emotional pain they may be experiencing in other areas of their lives. We asked ChildLine about the support available for those who self injure - and the steps "cutters" may take to find alternative ways to cope.

Self harm personal story

Jonathan - not his real name - doesn't really like school. He says he "nicks off" as much as he can. "There are always arguments at home so I go and hang out with a group of lads and lasses," he says. "We all drink a bit. Sometimes I cut my arm with a bit of broken glass. It feels good, but then I regret it the next day when I see the scar."

Jonathan is one of a growing number of teens who engage in self harm: a deliberate injury they inflict upon themselves. Some teenagers say self harm helps "control" their anger or becomes a channel for turbulent emotions they're experiencing. "Cutting myself is the only way I can deal with him being around," says one teenager, of her stepdad. "Cutting takes my mind off things when I'm unhappy about myself and the way I am," claims another.

What is self harming?

So what is self harm? It's a term used to describe a whole raft of injuries somebody can inflict upon themselves. This can take a number of forms including:

• cutting or burning
• taking overdoses of tablets or medicines
• punching themselves
• throwing their bodies against something
• pulling out hair or eyelashes
• scratching, picking or tearing at skin, causing sores and scarring
• inhaling or sniffing harmful substances
• swallowing things that are not edible
• inserting objects into their bodies
• head-banging.

Some young people self harm on a regular basis, while others do it just once or a few times. For some people, it is part of coping with a specific problem and the behaviour stops once the problem is resolved. Other young people self harm for years, whenever certain kinds of pressures or feelings arise.

Facts: Self harm in children and young people

Deliberate self harm among children and young people has increased dramatically over the past twenty years. Data from the Office of National Statistics shows that as many as one in ten teenagers deliberately self harm; rates of deliberate self harm among young men and boys have almost doubled since the 1980s.

The NSPCC reports 7,949 children contacted ChildLine, their free, 24-hour helpline about self harm in 2009/2010, including 5,388 girls, 721 boys, and 1,840 of unknown gender.

While the number of girls far outweighs the number of boys, the charity says it can't infer that fewer boys are self harming - there may be many others who aren't seeking help. Most of the girls were aged between 12 and 15, while most of the boys were aged between 16 and 18, although a small percentage of both girls and boys were aged 11 and under.

"We have had calls from children as young as 10," says Liz Dempsey, senior supervisor at ChildLine. "It is becoming evident that more and more people turn to it as a method of coping with other issues in their lives. Young people can feel extremely isolated nowadays."