Glossary / Lexicon

Self -harm refers to a wide range of things that people do to themselves in a deliberate and usually hidden way. It can involve various methods and degrees by which people may harm themselves : cutting, burning, scalding, banging or scratching one"s own body, breaking bones, hair pulling, and ingesting toxic substances or objects. Self-harm is not the same as attempted suicide. Not all people who sustained self-inflicted injuries deliverately have tried to kill themselves. However, people who self-harm often believe this is the only way to express their distress as they are too traumatised to talk about it. It is a serious problem in itself.