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Self Harm/Eating Disorders

Self Harm

Self harm is when people set out to harm themselves deliberately, often in secrecy. Self harm can include cutting, burning, or bruising. This does not necessarily mean they wish to take their own life.

How do people self harm?

People self harm in many different ways, for instance:

Cutting or scratching
Causing bruises
Banging their head against walls
Hair pulling
Burning
Falling over
Purposely breaking limbs

Why do people self harm?

Self harm is a sign of stress and is often caused by an underlying problem, such as bullying, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. People self harm as a way of releasing tension or anger. It's a physical pain rather than an emotional feeling that is more difficult to cope with. It is also a way of taking back some control, especially if they are feeling powerless in other aspects of their life. If people are not given the help and support they deserve to stop self harming, there is a risk that their urge to hurt themselves can manifest into suicidal thoughts.

I want to harm myself, what can I do?

If you are feeling like you want to hurt yourself, or you have already started to self harm, it may be helpful to reach out for some support. Tackling the cause of the problem will help stop you feeling like you want to hurt yourself.

You could find it helpful to try some of these things when you are feeling like you might self harm:

Write down your negative feelings on a piece of paper and rip it up.
Keep a book or diary of feelings.
Scream and shout.
Do something physical like running or swimming.
Twang an elastic band on your wrist.
Beat a cushion.
Call a friend for support.

Eating Disorders

The term Eating Disorder refers to Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating. The common feature of all the disorders is abnormal eating behaviour, often with a distorted body image. Anorexia Nervosa is diagnosed when a person’s food restriction causes weight to drop excessively below what is classed as normal. Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating are characterised by attempts to binge and/or get rid of food already eaten. A combination of medication, cognitive behaviour, individual and family therapy are the most common forms of treatment for these disorders, with more and more residential therapy becoming available.

What are the symptoms?

The general overall term Eating Disorder refers to disordered eating, possibly including a compulsion to exercise, restriction of food, vomiting after meals, and a focus on eating, but having little pleasure in food. Anyone with the disorder usually has a distorted image of her body and herself. Not only is she unhappy about how she looks, but the unhealthy eating behaviours can lead to serious medical problems. Eating disorders are most likely to start during adolescence when they are dealing with bodily changes and at the same time are faced with new academic and social pressures.

There are three types of eating disorders:

Anorexia Nervosa is diagnosed when a person weighs 15% less than expected according to growth charts. The person also has fears about weight gain, an unrealistic image of her body, and possibly irregular or loss of periods.

Bulimia Nervosa or binge eating and purging is not characterised by a specific weight loss, but rather by eating large amounts of food followed by behaviours to eliminate the food, such as vomiting, laxative use or excessive exercise.

Binge Eating Disorder or recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed by periods of guilt and disgust, occurs without the purging behaviour.