Self Harm ireland

Other Support Services

Pieta House
Web: www.pieta.ie
Email: mary@pieta.ie
Pieta House offers a specialised treatment programme for people who have suicidal ideation or who participate in self-harming behaviours. In particular, this centre targets people who have already attempted to take their lives. This service is free of charge.

Samaritans
Phone: 1850 609090
Phone: 08457 909090 (NI)
Email: jo@samaritans.org
Web: www.samaritans.org
Samaritans provide confidential, non - judgemental support, 24 hours a day for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those which could lead to suicide.

ChildLine
Freephone: 1800 66 66 66
Web: www.childline.ie
Childline is a 24-hour a day service for young people up to 18. Childline offer support to young people through their listening service over the phone and through the website. You can call Childline for a chat or to talk about any problems you might have.

Teen-Line
Freephone: 1800 833 634
Web: www.teenline.ie
We are a national freephone helpline for young people in Ireland, who may feel the need for emotional support. We provide a confidential, secure, non judgmental listening service for young people to express their feelings.

Welcome to Self Harm Ireland

Self Harm Ireland is the first centre for the prevention of self harm in Donegal.
Our aims and objectives are:

To facilitate communications between volunteers, survivors and researchers in all matters relating to self harm and self harming behaviour.

To promote awareness of the problem of self harming and self harming behaviour in the general public by holding awareness days and workshops and by communication of relevant material through the media.

To ensure that the public is better informed about self harm prevention.

To support those who self harm and to encourage a different way of communication.

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Why do people self-injure?
Reasons given for self-injuring are diverse. Many individuals who self-injure report that overwhelming sadness, anxiety, or emotional numbness are common Emotional triggers. They report that self-injury provides a way to manage intolerable feelings or a way to experience some sense of feeling. Self-injury is also used as a means of coping with anxiety or other negative feelings and to relieve stress or pressure. Self-injury is also used to:

Feel in control over one’s body and mind

Express feelings

Distract oneself from other problems

Communicate needs

Create visible and noticeable wounds

Purify oneself

Re-enact a trauma in an attempt to resolve it

Protect others from one’s emotional pain Some report doing it simply because it feels good or provides an energy rush (although few report doing so only for these reasons).

Regardless of the specific reason provided, self-injury may best be understood as a maladaptive coping mechanism, but one that works – at least for a while.