Self harm can come in many forms, it is a deliberate act to cause injury or harm to the body. There are different terms that you may hear linked to self harm, like self injury, or self mutilation.

Some more common forms of self harm include:

· Cutting
· Punching, hitting and scratching
· Choking, constricting of the airway
· Self-biting of hands, limbs, tongue, lips, or arms
· Picking at wounds, ulceration, sutures, or blemishes
· Burning, including cigarette burns, and self-incendiarism (as well as eraser burns)
· Stabbing self with wire, pins, needles, nails, staples, or pens
· Ingesting corrosive chemicals, batteries, or pins
· Self-poisoning; for example by over-dosing on medication and/or alcohol, without suicidal intent

Less common forms of self harm can involve more serious injuries like the amputation of limbs, this usually occurs when the person is experiencing severe psychosis.

Self harm serves different purposes for each individual, but for the majority of people who self harm it is a private act that remains hidden for many years, even from family and spouses. Wounds and scars are often concealed with items of clothing, or they offer different reasons for them, for example ‘the cat scratched me’