You’ll find there’s lots of adults on here who self harm.
To some extent I think the advice is similar whatever the age:
- letting them know you are there for them, both to talk and just to be/do normal things
- recognising that the self harm is usually a result of underlying issues and therefore simply tying to tackle the self harm itself is rarely successful.
- looking for ways to minimise the self harm or make it safer (where, how etc) or using alternatives (what works is individual and will depend on what someone achieves through self harm - but strenuous exercise, ice, chewing ginger/chillies, punch bag, talking it out with someone, colouring.....to name a few)
- help build self esteem.....when people feel better about themselves they are less likely hurt themselves.
The best thing for me is to have supportive people around me who I trust enough to reach out to in the difficult times.....and that’s as true for me now at 30 as it was when I was a teenager. So don’t underestimate how much of an impact caring can be, though I appreciate that it’s not always easy.