Self-harm is a concerning behavior that is more common among teenagers than many parents might realize. In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, approximately 15 percent of adolescents engage in self-harm behaviors, with rates even higher among certain subgroups such as those who identify as LGBTQ+ or have experienced trauma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Self-harm can take many forms, including cutting, burning, hitting oneself, or other acts of self-injury. It is important to recognize that self-harm is not a suicide attempt, but rather a coping mechanism for dealing with difficult emotions or experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If parents suspect their child is engaging in self-harm, it is important to approach the situation with both professionalism and compassion. It can be helpful to start the conversation by expressing concern for the child’s well-being and asking how they are feeling. It’s important to create a safe and supportive environment where the child feels comfortable sharing their experiences and emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is also important to seek professional help. A mental health professional, such as a therapist or counselor, can work with the child to identify triggers for self-harm and develop healthy coping strategies. In some cases, medication may also be necessary to address underlying mental health conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Parents should also prioritize their own self-care and seek support from a mental health professional or support group. Seeing their child engage in self-harm can be incredibly distressing, and it’s important for parents to take care of their own mental health in order to support their child effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember, self-harm is a common behavior among teenagers, and it’s important for parents to approach the situation with professionalism and compassion. Seeking professional help from our mental health team and creating a safe and supportive environment for the child are key steps in addressing self-harm and helping the child develop healthy coping strategies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Self-harm is a concerning behavior that is more common among teenagers than many parents might realize. In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, approximately 15 percent of adolescents engage in self-harm behaviors, with rates even higher among certain subgroups such as those who identify as LGBTQ+ or have experienced trauma. Self-harm can take many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6480,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mental-health"],"acf":[],"lang":"en","translations":{"en":37,"zh-hk":295},"pll_sync_post":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6481,"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions\/6481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sproutinmotion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}