Introduction to Self-harm for Nurses

This session provides an introduction to self-harm. The session starts with a knowledge check, followed by information used within the health care setting to gain a better understanding of self-harm among young people.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Identify common methods of self-harm
• Recognise the most relevant risk factors
• Examine the prevalence among young people
• Explain, in general terms, why adolescents self-harm

Self-harm among young people is a major public health issue in the UK. It is difficult to be sure of how many young people self harm as many young people never tell anyone what is going on but figures suggest it affects at least one in 10 young people and some evidence suggests that rates of self-harm are higher than anywhere else in Europe. Research shows that the rates are rising with recent published figures in 2014 suggesting a 70% increase in 10-14 year olds attending A&E for self-harm related reasons over the preceding 2 years.