Young people self-harm for a number of reasons: to achieve a sense of control, as a way to express emotions, as self-punishment, to feel something rather than nothing or to relieve tension.

Deliberate self-harm is often triggered by a stressful situation. The most common triggers are family difficulties, body image, work or school pressure, criticism from those around them. Most young people who self-harm say they do it to cope with their emotions and not as a plea for help.

To the right are links to additional resources as suggested by Young People Cornwall’s Hear Our Voice Project, they recommend these as a good starting point for more information, though many other good resources also exist.