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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Iv just found my daughter is self harming

22 replies

EKMLS · 12/04/2018 07:25

My daughter is 15 yers old and yesterday i found out she is cutting her arms with the stapler. Is anyone is going trough similar experience?

OP posts:
sashh · 12/04/2018 10:20

Sorry no one has answered, unfortunately I have no advice but didn't want you to be ignored.

Baubletrouble43 · 12/04/2018 10:29

I used to self harm as a teen. I'm at work now but will post a proper reply later. I recovered . Just wanted to say that.

Lifeaback · 12/04/2018 10:37

Really sorry to hear about this difficult time for your dd. There's lots of information and support available on the websites of charities like mind and childline as to how best support her.

What's most important at the minute is to have a proper chat with her. She is probably feeling guilt and embarassment about you finding out so it's vital that you create a supportive environment for her and make her understand that you care and are here to listen. A tip I read years ago is to start the conversation in the car- for some reason this often makes teens open up a bit more as there's no direct eye contact and awkward pauses as you're focusing on driving. If you're in a position where you can afford to go private for CBT/counselling then I can't reccomend that enough, if you're not then make an appointment with the GP for a referral to the appropriate mental health services. Schools often have trained counsellors and this may be a way to access support- you can call her head of year/head of pastoral care to arrange some support.

EKMLS · 12/04/2018 13:51

Thankyou,looking forward to hear from you later on

OP posts:
BodgingThisMumThing · 12/04/2018 13:57

I did this as a young teenager, lots of people I knew at the time did too. I think it’s best to remember there’s other things going on, and as with any mental illness it’s not easy to “just stop”. I found it so addictive, literally couldn’t stop if I wanted to. It was only when the underlying reasons were councilled out of me.

It’s such a sensitive subject but won’t stop at the drop of the hat. And if you think it has there will be other ways of self harming and other places for cutting.

Tread very very carefully, I recommend just going straight to your GP.

RafikiIsTheBest · 12/04/2018 14:02

I agree with a PP. Tread carefully.
Don't try telling her what to do. Just tell her you are here for her whenever she needs you, that you will listen to her and try to do that. But be honest with her, tell her that you want to help her but that she needs to want that help and be ready for it and you will do everything you can for her as soon as she says she is ready.
Being forced into councilling can make you feel so much worse, especially when there might be other factors you are unaware of going on. Take it at her speed and keep an open mind with it all.

There are many people you can speak to professionals about it, that might have better advice for you to follow until she is ready for that help.

Popadoodledoo · 12/04/2018 14:04

Hi hope everything is ok

I'm not much older than your dc I'm only 20 but have 2 dc.

I use to self harm from being 11 until about 16. Until I had my first dc with DH.

I was extremely depressed. I had been through a lot as a child and then it got worse as a young teen. I never got the right help for it. Really I needed counceling and therapy, but no one would help me and I turned to cutting. Some was reliefe of the pain I felt about myself. Some was reliefe of what had happened to me. I felt completley useless to this world, and I felt so horrible and ugly. I felt better usually once I'd done it until the next time..

Is there anything at all bothering her?

All I really wanted was love, and a cuddle of my mum and for her to support me. It's nice she HAS you to look out for her as mine never did.

I think the best thing is to sit her down and have a proper talk about what is on her mind. The slightest thing at all could be causing her to cut. From being self conscious, to more serious things.

Feel free to PM me I will happily speak to you privately. I hope your dc is ok. I send my best of wishes to you both and hope you can come out of this happy and well.

FlowersFlowers for you both.

EKMLS · 12/04/2018 14:07

Sashh thankyou for caring! Baubletrouble43 thankyou for replay and im looking forward to hear from you more later on.
Lifeaback thankyou for your replay. Its very helpfull specially advice about which counselling to go with

OP posts:
Kittycuddles · 12/04/2018 14:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DharmaLovesDrarry · 12/04/2018 14:10

My daughter did, or at least attempted it as her friend told her that it helped her to release the pressure she was under. It didn't do that for my DD so she hasn't taken that route again.

Did your DD tell you? If so that's brilliant, open, non-judgemental listening is key especially if she's trusted you enough to tell you. There is always a reason, and I think external support can help uncover it - professionals have ways to get to the bottom of stuff that we don't, especially when the kids themselves don't always know, or can't articulate, what the problem actually is.

Massive un-mumsnetty hugs because it is an absolutely shitty feeling

Poppins2016 · 12/04/2018 14:11

A tip I read years ago is to start the conversation in the car- for some reason this often makes teens open up a bit more as there's no direct eye contact and awkward pauses as you're focusing on driving

I'm going to offer an alternative opinion and suggest avoiding a conversation in the car (unless it happens naturally). My mother used to do this to me and I then felt anxious about every upcoming car journey and trapped/cornered. I found it to be an unpleasant way of forcing a conversation and as a result I withdrew rather than opening up.
You'd be better off making a cup of tea and sitting down together/going for a walk and chatting informally rather than being trapped in an enclosed space. Open up the dialogue gently, be prepared to stop if it gets too much and let her dictate the terms as much as possible (if you push too hard, she'll pull away).

Try to reassure your daughter and focus on her feelings rather than expressing shock at the self harm itself.

Self harm is usually a symptom/coping mechanism resulting from a deeper issue (e.g. depression or anxiety). It would be worth seeing your GP or speaking to the school for a referral to counselling.

CurlyRover · 12/04/2018 14:15

I used to self harm as a teenager, as did DP. We are now both through the other side (mostly) in our late twenties / early thirties. Our parents were awful when they found out. Mine were completely unsupportive and his Mum shamed him for it, made him show her his arms regularly and even told the whole family. As a result it just made us withdraw even more from them and to self harm even more just in places that were less obvious. Tbh I strongly believe we both could have got out the other side much sooner had we been given better support.

I know everyone responds to things differently but I think at the time all either of us needed was love, support and non-judgment. Home became even more of an unsafe space for me after my family found out about my self harm tbh.

Does your DD know you know? If not, I think it would be good to let her know you know and that if there's anything she wants to talk to you about she can, but if not, that's okay too but is there anything else you can do to help her. Even just offering her a hug shows you're there for her and you care.

Are there any other adults in her life she may feel more comfortable talking to? I only ask because my Aunt has been my lifeline with my mental health and I've always felt more comfortable talking to her about things. My cousin on the other hand (my Aunt's DD) has always felt more comfortable talking to my parents. Perhaps because they're a step removed it feels safer.

Hopefully someone else will come along who has been the parent rather than the teenager. But if you do want to talk more I'd be very happy to talk via PM with you.

What I would say is the fact you've posted here asking for advice shows you care a lot about what your DD is going through. Flowers

CurlyRover · 12/04/2018 14:18

I'm going to offer an alternative opinion and suggest avoiding a conversation in the car (unless it happens naturally). My mother used to do this to me and I then felt anxious about every upcoming car journey and trapped/cornered. I found it to be an unpleasant way of forcing a conversation and as a result I withdrew rather than opening up.
You'd be better off making a cup of tea and sitting down together/going for a walk and chatting informally rather than being trapped in an enclosed space.

I second this ^^ I'm much more likely to open up with a cup of tea or out for a walk than trapped in a car where it's impossible to get away.

Baubletrouble43 · 12/04/2018 14:40

Hi op. Just wanted to give you my experience I don't know if it will be of any use. I was a bit of a highly strung anxious child and moved schools a fair bit because of my parents work and was bullied in primary school frequently. I dont think this helped. With the onset of periods at 14 I began self harming because I couldn't cope with what I now realise is quite horrendous pmt that I suffer. It may be worth investigating if your daughter has similar monthly issues. As I got older I learnt to live with my pmt ( and left school which helped) and didn't self harm any more however I did begin doing so again after the birth of my twins in 2016 when I was hit by pnd. Citalopram sorted me this time. Certainly in my experience I would say raging hormones can be a trigger. And worth investigating the depression route. For what it's worth I believe it's far more common than people believe as no-one talks about it. I never have. Love and hugs to you and your dd.

EKMLS · 12/04/2018 16:22

Just wanted to thankyou all for your replies advice and general kindness. Im in a lot better place now after reading all your replies and im more confident then i will be able to support my daughter and be there for here!
So im mum of four daughters (age 17,15,11,7). I found out about my 15 years old daughters self harm from my older daughter as she received txt from her friend as he sore my daugters arms and he rase the concern. So this morning i waited for my daughter to be awake and iv just layed with her and kissed and cuddled her and asked her would she show me her arms which she did and she also told me she has done it ×2 in total and last time it was with stapler as it was there by hand. It was after and argument with her other two sister about chargers which made my 15 year old very worked up,stressed id say. But there is obviously back ground of bullying at school also she struggles to control how angry she gets and then she shaouts and slam things. She do say my oldest is my favourite and then she hate her life. Also this morning she put one of the reasons as she hates herself. I am there for her as much she lets me. I love her so dearly and this was why iv decided to look for help from other people with simular experience as mine is very limited and i new i will need as much help and information as i can get!

OP posts:
Baubletrouble43 · 12/04/2018 17:18

Glad you're feeling more positive. I think you approached her perfectly by the way. Love and understanding is what she needs. If she has trouble controlling her anger worth checking if it's linked to her cycle. In my experience pms can be a nightmare. Well done op xxxx

roosterroo · 13/04/2018 21:44

Hi op, currently dealing with this. My ds is just pre-teen at 12. He told Me in December how he felt sad on the inside and went on to self harm in his arms and legs. I would recommend both going to GP and school. I was
bounced between them at first. We Have School Counselling at the moment and s referral to healthy young minds coming up. I find that is really tough to deal with but he will talk to me and that is good, I try to let him talk and have had great support from our surgery as I'm so lost sometimes. I have a couple of sites recommended by the surgery if you would like them.
Be kind to yourself Smile

devoncreamtea · 14/04/2018 12:41

Hi OP, so sorry that you are and your daughter are going through this. I am in a similar place. My daughter told me at Christmas that she had been sh for a few months. She has been very stressed around school,and upcoming GCSEs and also has all the usually crap you have as a teenage girl - friend stuff, boy/girl stuff, family stuff, sibling stuff, hormone stuff. It is a hdifficult time to be a girl, I remember it well! School and the pressures there don't help either in my experience.

My school were pretty good with dd. She has spoken to a wellbeing person at school and is being referred to CAMHS. This might be a route your GP suggests? There is some good info about self harm for parents online too.

My daughter finds it hard to talk about, but she does try which is great I do sometimes talk in the car, but I think it is just as hard there as anywhere.. After a particularly strange episode with school, who completely overreacted about her picking at her scabs in class, I gave her a sei stern 'good cop' style chat in which I told her that I loved her and wanted to help, but that she had to try to be more willing to let me in or i would not be able to make sure that she was getting what she needed. At that point I felt that the parenting of my child had been a bit taken over by school and there were a couple of times where I was not informed of things that would impact on her wellbeing. After that conversation I took a bit more control over how things were dealt with and had a meeting with the school to discuss what I thought should happen with regards to communication with me. I also asked what there was in place to support kids with anxiety etc. So that might be a conversation worth having with her school?

There are all kinds of reasons why young people self harm. It seems to be a growing issue. I discovered that around half of my dd's class are doing it or have done it. This seems extreme to me!

The thing I really wanted to say was please try to look after yourself. It brought up all kinds of feelings for me - mainly guilt - but after reading around some of the info for parents on line I began to feel less shell shocked and more able to understand.

I now check in with my dd every couple of days. She doesn't always like it, but I just ask 'how are you feeling?' And 'have you felt like you would like to sh this week?' And she usually gives me a truthful answer. I try to be unflappable. If she has felt it but not done it I say great etc, if she has done it I might say 'have you got everything you need to sort it out?' Meaning first aid stuff, and then I might say is there anything I can help with? She sometimes opens up, but not usually...! I just try to show her and say that I am here for her. She says it is not one thing, but sometimes she gets so overwhelmed and the feelings of stress etc rise up and she just feels compelled to do it. Like taking the lid of a pressure cooker. She is slowing down though and has not made any new cuts for a month, although she does pick at the scabs when stressed (I still count that as sh).

One of the things I did wa limits social media opportunities, ie phone etc which she was surprisingly ok with. Then I tightened up her sleep and bedtime 'routine' ie I encouraged warm baths, camomile tea before bed and made sure she went to bed at 9.30 in the week, to read a book if she wanted or to sleep. I encouraged proper landline phone calls to friends, which she loves, and we chatted about good friends and what the best friendships feel like. I also got her a good multi vit and some vit d. And I hung out with her, watching friends from the beginning (!!) and having tea and biscuits in the evening before she went to bed or bath. I think she feels better, although it takes time for sh to stop. Hopefully if your daughter has only done it a couple of times it won't grow into a compulsion. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Flowers

EKMLS · 14/04/2018 15:04

roosterroo i would be greatfull if you can let me know the websites to look for more information about this. Our daughter is refusing at this time to speak to councillor or see GP or involve scool as she is convinced she can try not just do it and i will honour her wishes and just keep eye on her. Thankyou for telling your story it does help me a lot!

devoncreamtea can i ask which tipe or brand vitamins you bying for your daughter as i was thinking the same just wasn't sure which ones as these days the choice is endless! Also thankyou for telling your storry, great tips for me for example didnt think to check if she is leaving her scabs alone.

OP posts:
devoncreamtea · 14/04/2018 15:44

EKMLS yes sure - I have given her 'Floradix' that I got from the health food shop. It has iron in it in an easily digestible form (it is liquid). I got it because I have used it and found it good. The vit d is a BioCare one I got from their website, it was recommended by a friend - again it is liquid. BioCare is meant to be a good make I think.

My daughter was rreluctant to tell anyone at first too. I think it is a good idea to respect her wishes, I did say to my daughter that if she found she couldn't stop or if she continued to feel anxious etc then we probably would need to contact school. Another thing I did at the beginning, was to spend some time with her just the two of us. I do think that hormones play a part too, as someone else said above. My daughter has noticed a pattern around her cycle, she does get a bit less resilient and low mood before her period for sure.

Hope things get better for you both soon.

roosterroo · 14/04/2018 20:13

Your welcome, the two recommend we have looked at are:
www.papyrus-uk.org
This one has a part with some apps and help to get through the urge under apps-to-support-your-wellbeing

healthyyoungmindspennine.nhs.uk , there probably is a specific one for your area.

I have to agree with Devon , it's hard on you and you must look after yourself to be able to give the support they need! It's taken months to talk with crying.
Flowers

roosterroo · 14/04/2018 20:13

Without crying or being emotional!

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