Self harm

[paris]

This is a very personal thing i know but does anyone have any personal info on this matter.
One of my daughters( a teenager ) is doing this and although she is now receiving treatment for it she still does and cant stop doing it.
I as a parent didn't realise how wide spread this problem is.
If its easier please pm me with info as I'm finding it very hard to come to terms with. jan x

[octane]

Sorry to here that Jan, Google self harm, theres a wealth of information comes up.

[nikki]

I remember when I was at the high school last year, it was amazing the amount of people, mostly girls, who came in with deliberate cuts or burns on their arms or legs. I can't understand how they were feeling that they wanted to do something like that to themselves, but a couple of the girls only seemed to do it because they knew their freinds were, and they would flaunt their scars around.
I hope your daughter is ok, Jan, and I think the best thing you can do to help her is just to let her know if anything is getting her down, that she can come and talk to you.

[davem]

http://www.selfharm.org.uk/help/localmentalhealthservices/default.aspa

http://www.mind.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/0F7D74F2-FF23-4E11-A8E1-D544BB09B946/0/Understandingselfharm.pdf

googled these 2 links,I have met people who have self harmed, I am not at all sure that everyone I have met has had the same sort of trauma in their lives as the person who wrote the Mind booklet. I do think that someone from outside the family should be the person to help, no matter how supportive and caring parents or family are, the person who self harms needs someone they don't feel guilty about upsetting to help them sort through it. I know the right help is hard to find but I am sure you will find it.
Maybe find out through the Womens Aid Worker in Caithness/ or local to your daughter, she may not be the one but she should know the best route to try and get support.
Good Luck.

[paris]

Thanks for the links jan x

[Maclady483]

My 21 year old daughter has been self harming since she was 16. She pulls out her hair on her head and also picks them from her legs, she has bald patches on her head and her legs are a mess of open sores. She is at uni and at the moment on job placement in an oil company, she tries lots of ways to stop this, counciling helped for awhile, but stress of exams set her off again. I have no answers, but I can only support and love my daughter.