{"id":11343,"date":"2015-03-17T11:00:07","date_gmt":"2015-03-17T11:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=11343"},"modified":"2022-01-19T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-19T12:00:00","slug":"rise-in-self-harming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/rise-in-self-harming.htm","title":{"rendered":"The Alarming Rise in Self Harming – What is Behind It?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"rise<\/a>

By: Kiran Foster<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The 2013 suicide of 15-year old Tallulah Wilson brought the issue of self harming to new heights of public awareness here in the UK. But Tallulah\u2019s tragedy wasn\u2019t the first or the last. What have we learned since then, and are things changing?<\/p>\n

What is self-harm?<\/h3>\n

Self-harm is still defined as deliberate injury to one\u2019s body through actions such a<\/strong>s cutting, burning, scratching, hair-pulling, poisoning, and drug or alcohol abuse.<\/p>\n

(For a detailed overview of self-harm and recommended interventions, read our comprehensive Help Guide to Self-Harm<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n

It’s a common misunderstanding that the intent of self-harm is to commit suicide, but this is rarely the case. The drive behind self-harm is rather to<\/strong> achieve release or distraction from too much stress<\/span><\/a>, negative thoughts<\/span><\/a>, or situations that seem both intolerable and inescapable. In some cases, harming oneself also serves as self-inflicted punishment for imagined \u201csins,\u201d such as academic or social failure, or falling short of an unrealistic physical ideal.<\/p>\n

Despite it’s prevalence, self-harm is not officially recognised as its own independent disorder here in the UK<\/strong> like it now is in the United States. It is instead generally seen as a symptom of a larger problem.<\/p>\n

It is, however, recognised by the the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence<\/span><\/a> (NICE) that improvement needs to be made around the way self-harm is understood and treated in our country. Their website states that, \u201cSelf-harm is poorly understood by many NHS staff. All staff that come into contact with people who self-harm need dedicated training to improve both their understanding of self-harm and the treatment and care they provide. Effective collaboration of all local health organisations will be essential to develop properly integrated services.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why are Numbers Still Rising When it Comes to Self-Harm?<\/h3>\n
\"self<\/a>

By: Chris Chan<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

One reason for the increase in numbers is that previous studies often focused on young adults aged twelve and up. Since younger children began showing up for hospital treatment of self-harm injuries<\/strong>, researchers have expanded their subject pool to include a lower age bracket.<\/p>\n

But while studying a broader pool of people accounts for some increase in the numbers, it doesn\u2019t explain why self-harm is escalating rapidly in groups already being tracked.<\/strong> The alarming rise has caused researchers to re-double their efforts to develop a clearer profile of people at risk.<\/p>\n

Two important research overviews published separately in 2014, by the one by the University of Bristol<\/a> and the one by the National Suicide Research Foundation in Ireland<\/a>, re-examined several hundred studies for potential risk factors of self-harm.<\/p>\n

Both groups of researchers concluded that committing an act of self-harm escalates the likelihood of repetition within a year to over sixteen per cent, and that despite the efforts of mental health professionals this pattern had not changed since studies done back in 2000. <\/strong><\/p>\n

The studies also confirmed that two other established risk factors – past treatment for mental health issues and alcohol abuse – remain as significant today as they were fifteen years ago.<\/p>\n

Beyond this, the overview of studies revealed some less well-known risk factors, including:<\/p>\n