As the sun starts to poke its way through the snowfall, it’s easy to get swept away in the happy, 60-degree warmth of spring. But March carries an important weight as self-harm awareness month, serving as a gentle reminder to check in on your friends and family.Â
Self-harm is a complex topic for all, regardless of whether or not someone has personal experience behind it. Despite the growing support for mental health awareness in recent years, stigma still surrounds self-harm like a cloud. A coping mechanism still not fully understood by the masses, having difficult conversations are necessary to break through the myths around what self-harm really is.Â
One of the most important parts of this phenomenon is to understand what self-harm describes. Defined by Psychology Today, self-harm is “the act of deliberately inflicting pain and damage to one’s own body.” When the phrase “self-harm” is posed, the majority of people immediately assume that it refers to someone cutting themselves. While this makes up a large percentage of people, sitting at a high 45%, cutting is not the only form. Self-harm can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including one potentially hitting, skin-picking, burning, hair-pulling or scratching themselves. In rarer cases, it can also be used to describe engaging in excessive amounts of alcohol consumption or unsafe sex.
It’s crucial to understand that self-harm is not an act done to seek attention, nor something that is likely to dwindle out if ignored. It is also not an attempt to take a life, but if it goes ignored, the risks of suicide attempts do increase. It’s also important to remember that self-harm is not a permanent solution to a negative mental state, and can make it increasingly worse over time if unaddressed.
But… Why?Â
Despite furthering awareness of what self-harm can look like in a person, the most common question is why? What about this would attract a person to continuously do it?
Self-harm is often used as an emotional coping mechanism. There are numerous reasons why it may temporarily benefit a person’s mental state, whether that’s severe sadness, anger, taking control of something in their life or the pain snaps them out of numbness. We see a lot of backing behind this explanation, with the average age someone begins to self-harm sitting in their young teenage years, at just 13. This is a time where adolescents are trying to make sense of the various psychological changes.
How To Help
Seeing someone struggling with self-harm can cause a sense of helplessness, as the issue may seem too complicated or persistent to do anything about. Helping someone who is experiencing any sort of self-harm can be a delicate subject, but there are a few main points that are a necessity.Â
Judgement is an absolute no. People who are self-harming are often not open about it, and judging them for choosing to cope in a way you may not fully understand will not help their mental state. This being said, unless you are a mental health counselor, encourage that they also speak to someone qualified to assist. Licensed professionals can offer a broader range of safer coping mechanisms. Try not to be overbearing about the topic, but check in here and there to remind them that they do have a support system.Â
Never attempt to bribe, punish, or threaten someone into stopping self-harm. Self-harm can develop into an addiction, and giving someone an ultimatum is never helpful. Compassion is the best way to showcase support without pushing boundaries.
17% of adolescents in the United States report some form of self-harming behaviors. That’s just under 1 in every 6. Allow this month to shed some light on the complexities of mental health, and carry empathy with you in every situation.
Sources:
Axis Integrated Mental Health. (2025, February 27). Self-Harm Awareness Month. Axis Integrated Mental Health –. https://axismh.com/self-harm-awareness-month/
Is Self-Harm an addiction. (2024, November 25). Discover Health Group. https://discoverhealthgroup.com/mental-health/self-harm-addiction/
Self-Harm. (2025, April 4). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/self-harm