Self harm in young people
An two-year inquiry into self-harm in young people in the UK has just been announced, chaired by the Mental Health Foundation and the Camelot Foundation. The inquiry aims to understand more about the causes of self-harm in 11-25 year olds and find out what can be done to help.
This is great news, especially as self harm may be becoming more common, affecting up to 1 in 10 teenagers and resulting in 150,00 A&E visits per year. Sadly, many of those visiting A&E are discharged without being offered psychological or psychiatric help and are may face negative attitudes from hospital staff.
I was particularly pleased to see that the inquiry will include direct interviews with young people who self harm, and not just clinicians and academics.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation said today:
"The increase in self-harm is one of a number of indicators in the mental health field that show something is wrong. It may be visible evidence of growing problems facing our young people, or of a growing inability to respond to those problems.
There is a desire across the health and social care spectrum to develop appropriate responses, but the evidence base is limited. Self-harm is a complex issue, and our Inquiry will have to be broad in its outlook."
More information about the scope of the inquiry is available from the Mental Health Foundation website.
Here are some useful online references for further info on self-harm:
BBC Radio1 OneLife has good introductory info about self-harm and ideas about where to go for help.
The Self-Harm Alliance is a support group set up by a former sufferer
Read the Signs has information on a range of mental health issues affecting young people
Recommended books on self harm:
Life after Self Harm: A Guide to the Future by Ulrike Schmidt and Kate Davidson (available from amazon.co.uk and amazon.com). Uplifting book aimed at people who are struggling with self-harm. (This is the same Ulrike Schmidt who co-authored the excellent Getting Better Bit(e) by Bite(e) )
Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Healing Program for Self-Injurers by Karen Conterio and Wendy Lader (available from amazon.co.uk and amazon.com. Contains an explanation of the S.A.F.E. (Self Abuse Finally Ends) Program founded by Karen Conterio in 1985.
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