Title:

Self-Harm

Publish Date:

January 2011

ISBN:

978 1 86168 578 0

Covering Ages:

11 to 14 years

Issue Description

It is thought that the prevalence of self-harm is drastically underestimated, as those who harm themselves usually do so in secret and go to great effort to hide any marks. This book looks at what self-harm is, who does it and why. It also examines the stigma attached to self-harm.

The information comes from a variety of sources, including government reports and statistics, newspapers and magazine articles, surveys and polls, academic research and literature from charities and lobby groups; articles have been tailored to an 11 to 14 age group. Additionally, at the end of each chapter are two pages of activities relating to the articles and issues raised in that chapter.

Price:

£5.95

Quantity:

Key Facts

• About one in ten young people will self-harm at some point, but it can occur at any age. (page 2)
  
  
• Self-harm can help someone to feel in control and reduce feelings of tension and distress. If they feel guilty, it can be a way of punishing themselves and relieving guilt. (page 3)
  
  
• About three in 100 people who self-harm over 15 years will actually kill themselves. This is more than 50 times the rate for people who don’t self-harm. The risk increases with age and is much greater for men. (page 4)
  
  
• 55% of participants in a study by the charity SANE reported experiencing self-hate before harming. (page 5)
  
  
• 39% of participants in the SANE study, when asked how selfharm had helped them, wrote that it helped them regulate or release emotion. (page 6)
  
  
• Many people who harm themselves are failing to receive the help they need because of a ‘patchy’ provision of services across the UK and a lack of supervision and training of NHS staff, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) has said. (page 12)
  
  
• The rate of self-harm in the UK’s young people is among the highest in Europe. (page 14)
  
  
• Suicide is the act of ending one’s life intentionally. The suicide rate in the UK has been falling since 1991, and in 2007 the rate was the lowest on record. (page 17)
  
  
• Suicide is the second most common cause of death in people aged 15-24, behind accidental death. (page 19)

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Table of Contents

Chapter One: Self-Injury

Self-harm, Understanding self-harm, Self-harm treatment and services, Self-harm makes its mark on pre-teens, NHS services ‘failing to support people who self-harm’, Activities.

Chapter Two: Suicide

Suicide, Suicide: the myths, Warning signs of suicidal behaviour, Suicide and the media, Activities.

Key facts

Glossary

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