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Self-Injury Awareness Day: Understanding the issue and how to offer support
Feb 27, 2025
March 1st marks Self-Injury Awareness Day — a day dedicated to raising awareness and fostering understanding about the complex and often hidden issue of self-injury. While the topic can be difficult to discuss, it’s an important conversation that helps reduce stigma, provide support, and encourage healing.
What Is Self-Injury?
Self-injury, or self-harm, is when someone intentionally hurts themselves to cope with emotional pain or stress. It might seem like it helps in the moment, offering some temporary relief, but it’s not a healthy way to deal with those feelings. It doesn’t fix the deeper emotional issues, and over time, it can make things worse. That’s why it’s important for anyone who struggles with self-injury to get support and find healthier ways to handle their emotions and heal.
About Self-Injury
- Self-injury is not attention-seeking or manipulative
- Self-Injury is not a mental illness – it is a symptom of internal stress or distress
- Self-injury does not discriminate — it can affect anyone, regardless of gender, age, race, religion, sexual orientation, or background. Although it’s commonly associated with teenagers and young adults, people of all ages can struggle with self-injury. For some, it’s a behavior that begins in childhood and continues into adulthood, while for others, it may start later in life.
- Self-Injury is not a suicide attempt, but about staying alive
- Self-Injury is a symptom of emotional distress – it is not the problem, but it would suggest that the person is struggling with something else.
- Self-Injury is not a problem that cannot be solved – people can learn to manage their emotions in a different way
- People who engage in self-injury are not a danger to others.
- The injury severity is not directly related to the level of distress the individual feels. The fact that someone has harmed themselves is what is significant, not what they did or how severe their harm was.
Why do people engage in self-injury?
There is no simple answer to this, self-injury is personal and drivers to this are unique for everyone. Self-injury can often be a means to cope, helping people manage their emotional hurt or stress.
Often people engage in self-injury to try and feel as if they have more control over a situation or a temporary sense of relief.
It’s important to remember that those who self-injure are not defined by this behavior. They are individuals facing personal challenges who need compassion, understanding, and support to heal.
How you can help if you believe a friend or loved one is self-harming:
- Be supportive. Let them know you care.
- Don’t judge. Listen. Let them know you are there to help.
- Carry on and do the things you usually like to do with each other.
- Learn what you can about self-injury and share helpful information with your friends or loved ones if they show interest.
- Offer to be with them when they’re ready to speak to a trusted adult, such as a counsellor or family doctor.
- Help them get medical help for injuries that are serious.
- Take care of yourself. What you see and what you learn may be upsetting. You might need some help and support and, if you are a young person, you too may want to talk to a trusted adult.
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-injury, please reach out for support. There’s help, hope, and a path to healing.
Resources
Helping Children and Youth with Self-Harm Behaviours Information for Parents and Caregivers: Flyer/Information Sheet for parents and caregivers
Youth and Self-Injury: Brochure for parents and caregivers
Self-Injury Outreach and Support: Information and resources about self-injury for “those who self-injure, those who have recovered, and those who want to help.” The site includes coping tips, resources, links, and videos for those who self-injure, and for friends, family, and professionals. SIOS is a collaboration between the University of Guelph and McGill University.
Harmless Resource Hub: Provides information about self-injury, suicide prevention and postvention to promote health and recovery.
Helpguide.org : Learn about self-injury and how you can feel better without harming yourself.