Treatment and support for self-harm

Visiting the GP was the best thing I've ever done. It didn’t immediately get better, but that’s where my recovery began.

Your GP

Seeing your GP is often the first step to getting help for self-harm. What they offer may depend on whether you have any mental health problems, such as depression, personality disorder or bipolar disorder.

Your GP may:

• Assess you and let you know about available treatment
• Treat you for minor injuries
• Review any medication you take
• Refer you for talking therapies
• Refer you to specialist services, such as a community mental health team (CMHT)

They may suggest you go to hospital if they're concerned about your safety. Or if you need any medical treatment.

You may feel like your self-harming isn't regular or severe enough to be taken seriously. Or that you might not get the support you need. But you still deserve help, no matter how often you self-harm, or how serious you think it is.

It might help to write down all the things that you'd like to say to your GP in advance. This can help if you're worried about discussing your feelings or being judged.

See our page on talking to your GP for tips on how to speak to your GP about your mental health.

Talking therapies

Talking therapies involve talking to a trained professional about your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. The types of talking therapy recommended if you self-harm include:

• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)

Your GP can refer you to these, or you could refer yourself. You can use the NHS talking therapies service finder to find a local service, if you live in England. 

Or visit our page on how to find therapy or counselling. This includes information on finding a private therapist, if you can afford to.

Guidelnes for treating self-harm

Any treatment you get for self-harm through the NHS should follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for self-harm.

These say that:

• Health professionals should treat you in a way that is sensitive and non-judgemental
• Health professionals should be trained to communicate sensitively with people who self-harm, and be aware of stigma
• Any treatment you're given should be tailored to your needs and circumstances

Rarely, a health professional may ask you to commit to not self-harming during treatment. This is not best practice. It's important that you don't feel pressured into making decisions before you're ready.

What if I've had a bad experience of self-harm treatment?

If you've had a bad experience of NHS healthcare, you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). They have information on complaining about NHS services. Our information on complaining about health and social care may also help.

If you're worried about your treatment or care, an advocate may be able to support you. This could be a friend or family member, or a professional advocate. They could help you get the treatment you need.

Support groups

Support groups bring together people with shared experiences to support each other. This is sometimes also called peer support.

They can be peer-led, which means they are run by people who have similar experiences to you. Or they can be run by someone who is trained in delivering peer support.

Some people find it helpful to have a safe space to share what they’re going through with other people who understand. But talking about self-harm with a group of people can be difficult. And you may find listening to other people’s experiences upsetting or triggering.

You might find it helpful to speak to the group leader before you join so you know what to expect. And who you can talk to if you feel unsafe.

See our pages on peer support for more information.

Even when I've had to go to A&E, I've lied and pretended my injuries were accidents – which in hindsight is silly as I could have received some emotional support. But I hold such deep shame.

Online support

You might find it easier to talk about your experiences online, rather than face-to-face. Or online support might be easier to access.

You could find support through social media or online forums, including:

• Side by Side - our supportive online community for anyone experiencing a mental health problem
• National Self Harm Network (NSHN) – an online support forum for people who self-harm, their friends and families

When you're online, you might find it hard to avoid content that could be triggering. This includes content that encourages or promotes self-harm and suicide.

Think about anything you can do to protect and look after yourself and others online. For example, you could:

• Check how well moderated websites are
• Block or hide accounts that promote or include images of self-harm
• Report content that encourages or promotes self-harm. Or contains graphic images or detailed information about self-harm, including methods. It's against the law for companies to allow people to access content like this. Report Harmful Content has more information about how to report content.

Make sure to look after yourself, and remove yourself from situations that feel unsafe. See our pages on looking after your mental health online for more information. 

Published: August 2024

Next review planned: August 2027

References and bibliography available on request.

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