March 1 is Self-Harm Awareness Day, a time to break down stereotypes, foster understanding, and promote healthier coping strategies. It also serves as a reminder to those who self-harm that they are not alone and that help is available.

Teens have the highest rate of self-injury among all age groups. According to the 2023 Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS), 16.5% of Pennsylvania eighth graders and 13% of high school seniors reported engaging in self-harm.

The Eagle Eye conducted an anonymous non-scientific survey using a Google form to better understand how self-harm affects students at Tyrone Area High School.

Twenty-nine students responded to the survey. All but two reported that they have personally struggled with self-harm in the past or are currently engaging in self-harm.

“Self-harm isn’t something that should be joked about. It’s a serious issue that students in this school deal with daily,” said one respondent. “It’s always better to treat people with kindness because you never know what they’re going through.”

Several students said that the problem is underreported among their peers.

“It’s a lot more common than most people realize, even among those who self-harm,” one student explained.

WHAT IS SELF-HARM?

The most common methods of self-harm, according to a 2003 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, are skin cutting (70-90%), headbanging or hitting (21%-44%), and burning (15%-35%).

“It can range from hair pulling, burning, and cutting to anything else our minds come up with,” said one Tyrone student who responded to the Eagle Eye survey.

Other forms include excessive scratching to the point of drawing blood, punching (either one’s self or objects), infecting oneself, inserting objects into body openings, drinking something harmful (like bleach or detergent), and breaking bones purposefully. Most individuals who engage in non-suicidal self-injury hurt themselves in more than one way.

“It’s not like the movies at all. Self-harm isn’t just cutting; it could be stopping yourself from doing daily activities. Most people don’t do it for the attention, and it genuinely can be an addiction,” a Tyrone student said.

While most people who self-harm are not suicidal, studies suggest that people who harm themselves are at a higher risk of attempting suicide if they do not receive help.

“It’s not just about being sad or wanting to commit suicide,” one respondent said.

CAUSES AND TRIGGERS

The students who responded to the survey identified many triggers for self-harming behaviors, including depression, bullying, anger, body image issues, stress, anxiety, family conflicts, feeling betrayed, not feeling loved, and problems with family members and their drug addictions.

“I think it was more or less a release. I didn’t know how to process my anger or sadness, and it just felt like a quick release,” one student said.

“I hated the way life was going for me. People kept leaving me. I was bullied, even by my friends and family. I felt as if I was a disappointment to humankind, and it would be better if I weren’t there because nobody truly liked me,” another said.

The responses are consistent with the psychological research on self-harm.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “the mix of emotions that triggers self-injury is complex [and includes] feelings of worthlessness, loneliness, panic, anger, guilt, rejection and self-hatred. Being bullied or having questions about sexual identity may be part of the mix of emotions.”

MISCONCEPTIONS

When asked about misconceptions people have about those who self-harm, the response that came up more than any other was that self-harm is done only for attention.

“Many people see self-harm as a way to get attention, but self-harm, although it is not healthy, is a coping mechanism for many people,” the respondent said.

“It is an awful thing to deal with, and a misconception for self-harm is that it’s for attention when it is mainly a distraction from your mental pain,” another student said.

“It’s not attention seeking. It’s no different than a nicotine addict having a craving for a cigarette/vape, it’s a craving that sometimes you cannot fight.”

“Even if it was for attention, I think hurting yourself is a huge cry for help, and just because it’s for attention doesn’t make it less important.”

“People think it is a gateway out of bad things, but it is so much deeper. People think that that is the only way they can feel better about themselves.”

Another misconception that was mentioned several times is that self-harm does not mean that a person is suicidal.

“It’s not just about being sad or wanting to commit suicide,” one student said.

“Some people think that all people who self-harm are suicidal. This isn’t always true,” another said.

Many spoke about how the behavior becomes addicting, like drugs or alcohol.

“It isn’t for attention, and once you start self-harm, it’s addicting. It is never for attention, ever. If somebody is hurting themselves, just asking if they’re okay can make a big difference.”

“I think people wonder why others self-harm and act like it’s easy to resist, but when someone who is struggling mentally gets to the point of wanting to self-harm, it is not easy to resist because it’s just the mentality that depression and anxiety put you in.”

“It’s not an easy thing to quit. It can so quickly become an addiction.”

TREATMENT

While treatment is available, just 57% of respondents to the Eagle Eye survey reported seeking professional help for their self-harm behaviors.

The other 42% said they have not had any professional help. One even said that they had never told anyone about the issue.

“No, I’ve never had treatment,” one respondent said. “I just found other activities to help me cope and take my mind off of it.”

Some of the things respondents said helped them to avoid self-harm are music, writing, sports, journaling, and the help of their boyfriend/girlfriend.

One student said they were successful in getting over self-harm themselves.

“I did it myself. I started my self-help journey. It’s not easy either when bad stuff happens that urge doesn’t leave ever, but you have to choose,” the student said.

Two respondents admitted to taking illegal drugs to help, without success.

“I’ve tried doing drugs myself (weed, drinking, shrooms). Nothing makes it go away; everything kind of suppresses it, and no one realizes it,” said one student.

Among the 57% who did seek professional help, most, but not all, said that therapy and/or prescribed medications were helpful.

“My anti-depressants have helped me with journaling and having a good support system,” a student said.

Another said, “I have talked to therapists and counselors. Talking about my problems to someone who won’t judge and can even help give advice and guidance. I’ve gotten many techniques for stress relief from my counselor, and it helps prevent episodes where I want to self-harm.”

HELP IN SCHOOL

Tyrone Area Social Worker Shannon Flannagan wants students to know that help is available through the school. She explained how the guidance department at TAHS handles cases of self-harm.

“We as a school take it very seriously, and without judgment, to help find students the outlets that they need,” said Flannagan.

Flannagan said that there are policies in place to ensure that students get the help that they need and that there are resources available at Tyrone to help.

“The Student Assistance Program (SAP), a referral-based program, gets parents involved too. Along with different counselors, two at each building, students can use the Safe-to-Say hotline to report concerns. We also have mental health counselors, group counseling, and a telehealth program,” said Flannagan.

“Talking to my counselor or the school counselor helped a bit; it also helped when I begrudgingly recognized that this was a problem,” said another student.

“Speaking to a psychiatrist and getting depression medication, deleting social media where enabling posts are, and downloading a sobriety tracker (seeing the progress made it harder to see any point in a relapse),” said another.

“Yes, talking to trusted adults and friends helps because they can find outlets for you to use, and it also helps to get things off of your chest,” a student said.

“My best advice to those who self-harm is to make little goals. What I did was say to myself, “If I go [a certain number of days] without self-harming, I will go to Gardner’s.” Those goals could be anywhere from a few minutes to a few months!”

One of the students from the survey had this advice for anyone thinking of self-harm: “If you feel like hurting yourself, you need to reach out to someone and let your parent or maybe another trusted adult know.”

Another said, “If you have anyone in your life that cares about you, and everyone has at least one, reach out to them instead of harming yourself.”

“It’s okay to feel like you’re alone; it is a common feeling for many people, but it is important to know that there are better things in store for you than how you feel in that moment.”

Students who are struggling with self-harm or any other mental health issue can speak with a school counselor who will get you the help you need.

If you have injured yourself severely or believe your injury is life-threatening, call 911.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.