Self harm and thoughts of suicide
Self harm
Self-harm is the name given to any deliberate act of self-injury or behaviour intended to cause harm to someone’s own body. It commonly takes the form of cutting or burning, but can include self-destructive behaviours such as excessive drinking and suicide attempts. - [Youth Mental Health First Aid, Wales Assembly Government]
Thoughts of Suicide
The definition of suicide is an act that is dependent on intent. A coroner will return a verdict of suicide only if there is clear evidence, beyond all reasonable doubt that the individual intended to kill themselves and the death was self inflicted. “Suicidal ideation” is a medical term often used to describe the state of a person who has thoughts of Suicide. This can vary from a single fleeting thought, to the construction of a detailed plan.
Useful Links
If you are worried about a child or young person who may be self-harming or thinking or talking about suicide, the links below provide a range of information which can help you.
Self harm and thoughts of suicide
PAPYRUS - PAPYRUS is the national charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide. Downloadable resources available.
Zero Suicide Alliance - The Zero Suicide Alliance is concerned with improving support for people contemplating suicide by raising awareness of and promoting FREE suicide prevention training which is accessible to all including free on-line training available.
Help is at Hand - Resource to support people bereaved by suicide or unexplained death and those helping them
Samaritans - There are lots of useful reports on the topic of Suicide by Samaritans and other signposting for help and support. They have a ‘Working with Compassion’ toolkit which can assist staff when talking to or helping someone who is experiencing poor mental health or emotional distress.
Click here for the Gwent Safeguarding leaflet on ‘Handling issues of self harm and thoughts of suicide – a guide for professionals’
Click here to see the Parents and Carers page on Suicide and Self Harm
Click here to see the Children and Young People’s page on Suicide and Self Harm
Mental Health
Mind - a mental health charity with a view that no one has to face a mental health problem alone, they offer information, support and advice and run campaigns to promote mental health awareness. They provide an A-Z of Mental Health.
Time to Change - Time to Change Wales is a national campaign to end the stigma faced by people with mental health problems.
MHFA Wales - is a social enterprise providing training in the areas of mental health and wellbeing – click here to follow them on Facebook
Ruby Wax Ted Talk- What’s so funny about mental health?
Five Ways to Wellbeing - The Five Ways to Wellbeing are a wellbeing equivalent of ‘five fruit and vegetables a day’. It is recommended that individuals build the Five Ways (which are described in the boxes below) into their daily lives to improve their wellbeing. Resources are available to download as PDF files or you can order hard-copies of the Five Ways to Wellbeing resources from the website