Every March, Self-Harm Awareness Month serves as a crucial reminder of the importance of understanding, recognizing, and supporting those affected by self-harm. This month is dedicated to breaking the stigma, raising awareness, and encouraging compassionate conversations around this often misunderstood mental health issue.
Self-harm, also known as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), involves deliberately injuring oneself as a coping mechanism to deal with emotional pain, stress, or overwhelming feelings. It affects individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and genders, though it often begins during adolescence. Common methods include cutting, burning, or hitting oneself, but self-harm can take many forms. While it is not done with the intention of causing death, it does increase the lifetime risk of suicide. People often use it to cope, either when they are overwhelmed by their feelings or when they are burdened by emotional disconnection and numbness. It is a maladaptive coping mechanism that signals the need for insight and support in identifying and practicing more adaptive coping mechanisms.
If a client discloses or has a history of self-harm, it is important to discuss it in a non-judgmental manner and to be curious about when and why the client has engaged in the behavior. If the client is not on the mental health caseload or receiving mental health intervention, NSSI indicates that a referral is needed.
