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More than 24 000 teenagers are admitted to hospital each year in the UK after deliberately hurting themselves. Most have cut, burned, severely scratched, bitten, scalded or poisoned themselves, or pulled their hair out. Recent research suggests that one in ten teenagers self-harm, so if you're teaching an average sized class, chances are you'll have at least one or two self-harmers in your classroom at any time.
These shocking figures are a troubling indicator of the emotional difficulties many young people experience today. Worse yet, such statistics may not adequately reflect the scale of the problem, as many cases of self-harm are not presented in hospital accident and emergency departments.
In order to begin to offer support to young people who self-harm, it helps to know some background to the issue.
These shocking figures are a troubling indicator of the emotional difficulties many young people experience today. Worse yet, such statistics may not adequately reflect the scale of the problem, as many cases of self-harm are not presented in hospital accident and emergency departments.
In order to begin to offer support to young people who self-harm, it helps to know some background to the issue.
The National Inquiry into Self-Harm
In response to the growing concern about levels of self-harm among teenagers in the UK, the Mental Health Foundation and the Camelot Foundation are running the first UK inquiry into self-harm in young people aged 11 to 25.
This inquiry published its first interim report in September 2004. Alarmingly, it suggests that self-harm among young people is far more prevalent than ever before and that UK rates of self-harm are the highest in Europe.
Defining self-harm
Broadly defined, self-harm refers to the deliberate attempt to physically injure oneself without causing death. The National Inquiry focuses specifically on self-mutilation (e.g. cutting behaviours), self-poisoning, burning, scalding, banging, and hair-pulling.
Although clearly damaging, alcohol and drugs misuse, eating disorders, unsafe sex and other excessively risky behaviour, such as dangerous driving, are not generally classified as self-harm.
In response to the growing concern about levels of self-harm among teenagers in the UK, the Mental Health Foundation and the Camelot Foundation are running the first UK inquiry into self-harm in young people aged 11 to 25.
This inquiry published its first interim report in September 2004. Alarmingly, it suggests that self-harm among young people is far more prevalent than ever before and that UK rates of self-harm are the highest in Europe.
Defining self-harm
Broadly defined, self-harm refers to the deliberate attempt to physically injure oneself without causing death. The National Inquiry focuses specifically on self-mutilation (e.g. cutting behaviours), self-poisoning, burning, scalding, banging, and hair-pulling.
Although clearly damaging, alcohol and drugs misuse, eating disorders, unsafe sex and other excessively risky behaviour, such as dangerous driving, are not generally classified as self-harm.
The prevalence of self-harm
It's virtually impossible to know exactly how widespread self-harm is among young people in the UK but, judging from the studies that have been done and the data collected so far, it is almost certainly on the increase. Latest figures from the children's charity ChildLine show that during 2002-03, 1 per cent of callers to the helpline (1 122 young people) rang specifically because they were self-harming. Another 2 per cent (2 223) spoke about self-harm to the counsellor even though they rang for a different reason. Of those ringing ChildLine out of concern for a child they think may be self-harming, only 7 per cent rang about a boy while 93 per cent rang about a girl.
It's virtually impossible to know exactly how widespread self-harm is among young people in the UK but, judging from the studies that have been done and the data collected so far, it is almost certainly on the increase. Latest figures from the children's charity ChildLine show that during 2002-03, 1 per cent of callers to the helpline (1 122 young people) rang specifically because they were self-harming. Another 2 per cent (2 223) spoke about self-harm to the counsellor even though they rang for a different reason. Of those ringing ChildLine out of concern for a child they think may be self-harming, only 7 per cent rang about a boy while 93 per cent rang about a girl.
Item TitleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, sapien platea morbi dolor lacus nunc, nunc ullamcorper. Felis aliquet egestas vitae, nibh ante quis quis dolor sed mauris. Erat lectus sem ut lobortis, adipiscing ligula eleifend, sodales fringilla mattis dui nullam. Ac massa aliquet.
Item TitleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, sapien platea morbi dolor lacus nunc, nunc ullamcorper. Felis aliquet egestas vitae, nibh ante quis quis dolor sed mauris. Erat lectus sem ut lobortis, adipiscing ligula eleifend, sodales fringilla mattis dui nullam. Ac massa aliquet.- Item TitleLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, sapien platea morbi dolor lacus nunc, nunc ullamcorper. Felis aliquet egestas vitae, nibh ante quis quis dolor sed mauris. Erat lectus sem ut lobortis, adipiscing ligula eleifend, sodales fringilla mattis dui nullam. Ac massa aliquet.
