'More compassion is needed in the fight against self-harm'

Shame and stigma still stop many people seeking help for self-harming

Self-harm attracts little attention worldwide even though there are more than 14 million episodes every year. It is defined as people hurting or injuring themselves intentionally by self-poisoning or injury.

This can take many forms, including overdoses of medication, ingestion of harmful substances, cutting, burning, or punching, regardless of the reasons.

One in four people and 10% of young people self-harm.

It can occur at any age but is most common in young people, and numbers are increasing. Repetition of self-harm is common, and suicide is much more common after self-harm than in the general population.

But, sadly, those attending health services only represent the tip of the iceberg for self-harm as shame and stigma often stop people from seeking out help.

A report, led by researchers from the universities of Bristol, Glasgow, and Manchester in the UK and New South Wales in Australia, and involving an international team of experts, was published a few weeks ago and is calling for urgent action.

The commission makes a number of recommendations that could help people who have self-harmed, and one of the most important is to stop punishing those who self-harm.

They also say that people with lived experience of self-harm should be encouraged to lead and participate in the design, delivery, leadership and evaluation of care. And considering the rising rates of self-harm among young people – especially young women and girls – they should be particularly involved in the design of interventions.

More compassionate and effective delivery of health and social care is emphasised as well as government initiatives that address the causes of self-harm and reduce its stigma. We have to see this issue through a global lens, ensure responsible handling of self-harm in all types of media, and ensure people who deliver that care have a deep understanding of it, and greater empathy.

Nav Kapur, Professor of Psychiatry and Population Health at the University of Manchester, has helped lead a number of NICE guidelines on self-harm and suicide prevention.

He co-led the commission with professors Paul Moran, Helen Christensen and Rory O’Connor but the report includes more than 40 authors from around the world.

Professor Kapur says: “It was great to be part of the team which produced this commission.

“I’ve been working in services for self-harm for 30 years but what was striking for me with this piece of work was the integration of mental health and public health with global, indigenous, and lived experience perspectives.”

Let’s hope it helps.