Step Up! International

However, both research and practice-based wisdom indicate that the majority of self-harming adolescents do not meet the criteria for diagnosable DSM-IV¹  psychological or personality disorders, have never had suicidal thoughts or attempted to end their lives, and have never experienced sexual or physical abuse (Selekman, 2009). Most self-harming adolescents use the behavior as a coping strategy to get immediate relief from emotional distress.

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People wanting to gain more information about self harm awareness have been growing in number each day. Because humans are naturally inquisitive, one main agenda of people joining self harm training groups is to know why people cut themselves. Self injury is generally an intricate matter and can be really a problem for people involved. Statistics and reports show that it is a growing worry that there is a 50% greater chance of committing suicide by people who need self harm help than those who do not.

Proper treatment at the right time is important for fast recovery and coping. It should not be mistaken to be merely seeking attention because self harm reasons range from many aspects and backgrounds as well as experiences. And disclosure by people who self harm can be varied as one can share it with a friend and not with a family member or vice versa. You may know someone who self harms, maybe even closer at home, and hence the resource materials for teachers have been created to give training for self harm help.

How Self Harm Training Can Help

The thirst for knowledge is natural given that there is a shortage of proper self harm help or training provision. Self injury is already a complicated issue alone, as there is the emotional pull on the young person self harming as well as those supporting them, for instance, teachers, parents and friends. Training is vital because it can encourage people to explore their self harm awareness and enhance that inner understanding of the issues faced by those with self harming behaviour. Training will further delve into the facts of why people cut themselves and the impact supporters can have on the health, well-being, and recovery of the person self harming. Through proper preparation, skills can be developed to battle self injury and influence faster recuperation. Perhaps the most significant part of professional training against self harm is gaining know-how, comprehension of the symptoms of such behaviours; confidence to be able to differentiate a real suicidal attempt from self harm; and be aware of instances where immediate action is needed.

Training courses have been established to help supporters to empathize with those individuals who deliberately injure themselves and for them to be in a better position to provide more relevant or appropriate self harm help.

In a world full of judgmental attitudes, it is always touching and encouraging to know that there are those – even though not related to us by blood – who really care and will always lend us a hand whenever and wherever we need them to.

What is the Significance? 

The Self Injury Awareness Day is an annual worldwide self harm awareness campaign which happens on 1 March. It is similar to other Awareness Days which includes people generally being more tolerant of someone else’s plight.   Raising more awareness about Self Injury may help people pluck up the courage to tell someone that they are inneed of self harm help. Additionally, it is an opportunity for organizations to create more efforts and opportunities in raising self harm awareness to improve the number of individuals aware of self injury. In the hope of increasing self harm awareness, people are asked to wear orange ribbons, wristbands, and beaded bracelets. The goal of this Self Injury Awareness Day is to stop the stereotyping revolving around self harm and provide resource materials for teachers and medical professionals alike.

What happens during Self Injury Awareness Day?

Just like other Awareness Days, support groups tend to organize awareness Events or opportunities to spread more information regarding particular actions that people could take as most people are not aware of what self injury is about or have no real understanding of why people cut themselves. A lot of us try to cope with our own problems in different ways. Some people drink too much, eat too much, or smoke too much, assault others through means of domestic violence or just pick fights as a means of coping with their problems and anxieties. Whilst others self injury as their way of coping.

What Can Schools/Colleges do To Raise Awareness?

Self Injury Awareness Day (SIAD) is the day that many support groups and concerned citizens from all walks of life attempt to improve, raise, and increase self harm awareness. Raising self injury awareness could include promoting SIAD by:

• Emailing your friends/family and contacts to tell them about it
• Show support for SIAD and young people who self harm by wearing orange, which is the colour for self injury awareness.
• You could wear orange ribbons, clothes, wristbands
• Hold  creative  self injury awareness drawing competitions at school
• Self injury awareness poetry competition at school
• Have an awareness event at school, to include the whole school and perhaps invite visitors in
• Invite parents in for an awareness session
• Let local media (TV/radio) know  of your event and thus helping to spread the word about SIAD

It is on this day that debunking of stereotyping and self injury myths happen.

In particular if the awareness and event takes place at school or college, it may give students the confidence to seek the support from your support services that they may not otherwise do as we know there are students at school or college who are self harming without anyone knowing, given that self harm is a private act.

Crd: AmberMidnight

The main thing to remember is that people who self harm are hurting and in emotional pain and more than likely physical pain too depending on the nature of their injury. It is likely that they want to stop wearing the long sleeves in summer or baggies used to cover up their injuries. They want the help but don’t know how to ask for it and fear being ridiculed. A small step forwards on your part could make all the difference in a youngsters life and could help them to deal with their challenges without having to fear being judged and insulted.

Self Injury Awareness Day is an opportunity to help individuals who deliberately harm themselves to really express their hidden emotions and seek the help and real attention that they have been deprived of but have always needed.