To be unsure of what to make of this, TW self harm

[Apricotfuzz]

Below is an exert from the article do you don't need to click - but I'm not sure to make of this. On one hand I get they want to limit harm. But on the other I'm simply horrified that that the people these kids go to wouldn't discourage them from cutting themselves? Have I lost my mind? Have they?

"A controversial LGBT youth charity trained volunteers to advise self-harming children to use “clean razor blades” instead of discouraging them from cutting themselves, a whistleblower has claimed.
LGBT Youth Scotland was reported to the Scottish charity regulator by someone who wanted to become a volunteer but was then given “shocking and callous” instructions around how to deal with young people who were intentionally injuring themselves.
It is alleged that managers said if a child was hurting themselves as a “coping mechanism”, then it would be wrong to “take that away from them” and instead they were told “we have to ask them if they are using clean razor blades”.
Whistleblower claims
The volunteer said that when they challenged the policy in October 2023 they were “dismissed” by managers who “didn’t see the issue” and defended self-harm as children “might not have any other ways of coping”.
The whistleblower said they believed the instructions could easily have been interpreted by vulnerable young people as “a sign of encouragement” to continue harming."

https://archive.ph/0V277

That charity has been linked to some dodgy stuff before, I think, I recognise the name.

Rubber bands is what I was told to recommend as an alternative to cutting (years ago so advice may have changed).

Their advice is in line with what CAMHS typically suggests now so it's necessarily wrong advice at all

Not everyone who self harms finds it easy to use safer options such as rubber band or ice. I have a child who frequently self hates. We have removed all sharp projects they could use so they have use 'unsafe' items (including things found on the pavement outside). My child is currently on an inpatient setting and still manages to cut themselves. Won't disclose what they use (room search multiple times, noone knows what the tool is). As a result, cuts a nasty, not clean and need medical attention. For some it's the only coping mechanism and I wonder if access to clean blades would be safer. I guess you dont have much personal experience, op?

I was in a specialist unit for self harmers at The Maudsley in London and this is similar to the approach they took there. The point being not to spend all the time trying to stop them from self harming, but instead putting the effort and resources into addressing the underlying issues for a long term resolution. They used to keep our blades in boxes and you could have them when you asked.

I work in mental health.
We absolutely want to support people to develop the strategies and skills they need to stop cutting, but while they are, it's important that they are doing so safely. That means clean blades, knowing how far to cut, etc. That's literally life saving information in some cases and nothing callous about it.

I was a cutter through my early teens and I would absolutely have seen this as validation that this is a standard coping strategy or way to deal with psychological distress. Just as drinking or underage sex was.

The advice is more about making an action a person is going to do that is damaging, as safe as possible until the cutting can stop. This is normally advice given alongside professional help.

Like underage sex, you can't do much to stop it but you try and educate and make sure they do it as safely and as informed as possible.

You can do a fair bit to prevent underage sex actually. This idea is a bizarre myth. We're one step away from providing safe rooms for youngsters and children's to take their drugs in.

This has been standard in working with self harm for a very long time. Working in harm reduction is of course important but so is minimising risk, explaining safety, how to treat wounds and avoid infection. No one is saying “off you go and here’s a clean blade”, it’s combined with many other messages but infection control is important.

But it isn’t an action in isolation. Yes, you may have seen it as validation initially, but then you would have been supported to understand and change your mindset, or address any other underlying issues.
It’s a temporary thing to keep you safe while working with you to help you stop self harming independently.

Me too. And the rubber band thing never appealed at all, I was all about the cut. I appreciate that doing it safely is better than using blunt or dirty tools, but it’s not better than the message that it isn’t a normal or safe way to cope and should be avoided. But I also appreciate that I’m not an expert.

I work in CYP mental health, yes removing the coping mechanism can lead to suicidal ideation. I work on building self-esteem and helping them to connect with family or friends (most self-harmers seem unable to talk to others about their feelings.) I also unpick why they harm and this can lead to more healthy strategies. Elastic bands work for some, punching a pillow for others (amongst many others).

Fair enough that for you as a teen this would have been counterproductive, but that doesn't change that for lots of people that's not the case and harm reduction is important. I got a horrible infection in some SH wounds as a teen that could have been avoided. I was very resistant to stopping SH altogether, but I could have done it more safely.