self-harm

Self-harm is not usually an attempt at taking our own life, but a way of expressing deep emotional feelings, such as low self-esteem. It is also a way to cope with traumatic events or situations, such as the death of a loved one, or an abusive relationship. Self-harm is not an illness, it is an expression of personal distress.

Our self-harm Blogs

Suicide prevention must address homelessness, not just mental health

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A large population cohort study finds that homelessness is an independent driver of suicide risk, pointing to the limits of mental health-focused prevention alone.

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Do prescribed opioids increase self-harm and suicide?

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Study of 3 million Australian adults prescribed opioids, 84% of self-harm events and 81% of suicides didn’t involve opioids. Challenges belief that prescribing increases self-harm risk.

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Midlife women: self-harm and suicide are not interchangeable

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Women aged 55-59 present far less often with self-harm than women aged 40-44, yet experience twice the suicide mortality. Different expressions of distress require different responses.

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Mental health admissions to medical wards: 65% increase in a decade for young people

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Mental health admissions to acute medical wards rose 65% for young people in England (2012-2022), with eating disorder admissions up 515% and anxiety admissions doubling in 10 years. Self-harm admissions accounted for more than half of the total. Adolescent girls by far the biggest group affected.

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Headbanging as self-injury in secure mental health settings: who is most affected?

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This descriptive study analysed five years of incident data from a private mental health provider, finding that headbanging incidents were most common among younger female patients with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder in low secure and CAMHS wards. However, the study only describes patterns without exploring why headbanging occurs or differentiating between self-harm, sensory regulation and communication.

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Genes, brains and self-harm: New study links adolescent risk to biology and disadvantage

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Self-harm is common among adolescents and a strong predictor of suicide risk. A major new cohort study in the British Journal of Psychiatry explores how genetic risk and brain differences might explain who’s most at risk, and why.

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The Lancet Commission on self-harm: a global call for compassionate, culturally informed care

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Self-harm is a global public health issue, yet it remains under-recognised and poorly addressed. A landmark Lancet Commission reframes self-harm as a complex behaviour shaped by culture, society, and inequality—and sets out 12 key recommendations for change.

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Does harsh parenting increase the risk of self-harm and suicide in young people?

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This brand new Lancet Psychiatry paper looks across 38 longitudinal cohort studies to uncover how parenting and family dysfunction predict later self-harm or suicidality. The findings may surprise you.

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Can green space help protect us from self-harm and suicide?

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Trish Darcy on a systematic review which suggests a protective association between green space exposure and all suicide-related outcomes. The protective associations were stronger for women than for men.

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Adolescents with disabilities at higher risk of self-harm, but intersectionality also a vital consideration

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Elisha Joshi reviews a study exploring the prevalence and risk factors for self-harm in adolescents with and without disabilities living in the UK.

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