We must reduce stigma around selfharm and strengthen support

A new dedicated national strategy is required to tackle a growing problem, says Rachel Cackett

Last year, Samaritans’ free, 24-hour helpline provided emotional suppor t to someone in connection with selfharm once every two minutes. That’s 272,000 conversations. Each of those conversations represents a person facing unique difficulties. But the common thread of hope that runs through them all is that someone reached out for help and, in response, someone else was there to listen with kindness and without judgement.

Our recent report Hidden Too Long: uncovering self-harm in S cotland highlights just how vital that kind, nonjudgemental response can be.

S elf-harm was a growing public health challenge long before the coronavirus pandemic – recent data shows the proportion of adults in Scotland who say they have ever self-harmed

doubled from three per cent in 200809 to seven per cent in 2018-19, while one in six (16 per cent) young people aged 16-24 said they had self-harmed at some point. As the current uncertainty continues to impact on mental health it’s even more pressing that we take action to improve understanding of self-harm, reduce stigma and strengthen support.

Through our research we developed a clearer picture of this often hidden and misunderstood issue. We were encouraged to find that nine in ten adults in Scotland believe self-harm is a serious issue and that more should be done to address it.

But our research also found that two in five Scots would not know how to support someone close to them if they were self-harming. One in three said they would not feel comfortable talking

to their partner or close family about self-harm, nearly two in five would not feel comfortable talking to friends and nearly one in four would not feel comfortable talking to a GP or another healthcare professional.

Our research with people with direct experience of self-harm found only half sought support after their most recent experience of self-harm. And our conversations with stakeholders working across frontline services highlighted many challenges that prevented professionals from delivering the compassionate, person-centred care they aspired to.

Despite these challenges, we believe there’s a real opportunity to strengthen the often hidden frontline of support from family, friends and community services and to empower and support health and social care, education and youth services, and the third sector to work in partnership. We’re calling for a new, dedicated national strategy to give renewed focus and leadership to meet these challenges and opportunities.

Asking for help isn’t easy. It takes courage – especially when stigma means that we may feel unsure of how others will respond. But those 272,000 conversations to our helpline are a reminder that when people reach out, we can be there to meet them at that difficult moment and let them know they’re not alone. Let’s work together to make sure that whenever and wherever someone takes the brave step to ask for it, they’re met with the help they deserve. Rachel Cackett, Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland. Contact Samaritans for free by phone on 116 123 or email at jo@samaritans.org. Read the full report at www. samaritans.org/samaritansin-scotland/self-harm