Self harm issue to be tackled by TV campaign

Feb 28 2006

A new campaign has been launched in the UK highlighting the often ignored issue of self harm.

Following research in 2002 by Oxford University it was revealed that many Scottish adults did not know how to help a young person who deliberately hurt themselves.

The "see me" campaign research apparently revealed that 41% of adults thought young people who hurt themselves were attention seeking, while 34% felt they were manipulative.

The stigma of self harm is now being challenged in a new advertising "See Me" campaign, which the organisers hope will address the stigma faced by youths with emotional difficulties.

According to the campaign director Linda Dunion, it is time to replace "secrecy and shame" with "understanding and support".

The study in 2002 found one in 10 teenagers self-harms and the campaigners want the public to understand it is a sign of emotional distress, and not a form of blackmail.

They hope that adults will be encouraged to act as someone to confide in for teenagers they know are self-harming, and believe that the sooner the problem is out in the open, the sooner the self harmers will get the help they need to recover.

The campaign unites under one umbrella five mental health groups.

The organisers believe the figures for self harm are underestimated due fears about how adults might react if asked for help.

They say to stigmatise people when they are most in need of help will only make matters worse.

The latest findings, from a survey of 1,000 adults in Scotland, found about a third of adults regarded self-harm as a phase young people would grow out of, and 15% believed it was a failed suicide attempt.

Ms Dunion said the research underlined how crucial it was that knowledge and understanding of self-harm was increased.

The campaign is funded by the Scottish Executive as a key part of its national programme to improve the mental health of Scots.

The TV advert shows the harmful effect stigmatising behaviour has on young people who are self-harming.