The incidence of self harm amongst children and young people has swollen to epidemic levels. There are multiple Insta feeds dedicated to promoting self harm. So some self harm is legit, for want of a better description and some is sort of curiosity/following.
That said, you need to take it seriously. GP who will be able to make referrals.
If you are at all able to stretch to private therapy this will be so much faster.
i don’t understand why the poster upthread advised to flag the school. I would do nothing without my child’s agreement. A teenager needs to be involved in decisions about their lives. In fact, the feeling of helplessness is a big driver of mental health problems.
I would ask her about her arms. She has let you see them consciously or subconsciously because she wants your attention and doesn’t know how else to ask.
Keep it low drama, very important that you keep your emotions in check and come from a place of love that is very clear to her.
Ask her what she needs from you. She may not know but she will appreciate you asking. Maybe she needs assurance that your love and acceptance is not conditional on high grades or other external markers. I’m sure it’s not but some teens need it spelled out.
It’s a challenging time to be young; we have a global pandemic, a climate emergency, a war, an appalling lack of leadership on top of all the normal struggles of being a teen.