June is a month dedicated to raising awareness about child protection and also focuses on the youth in our country. In light of this focus, Dr. Matthews Banda discusses the often-overlooked issue of self-harm in children, emphasizing its importance even when it’s rarely talked about.
When asked about the most important commandments, Jesus said to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. The second was to love your neighbour as yourself. It’s easy to love yourself, or at least it’s supposed to be. But what happens when we don’t love ourselves? What happens when we hurt ourselves?
Self-harm is always abnormal. Whether it comes in the form of scratching yourself, punching hard surfaces (without practicing boxing), cutting yourself or burning yourself, all activities that are intended to and result in pain to oneself are abnormal. This is not an exhaustive list because I am trying to avoid planting ideas or writing as if some activities are more “serious” than others. All self-harm is abnormal. With adults, there is a long list of questions and possibilities to consider in helping. With children, one needs to contact a responsible adult to assess and intervene to assist the child.
Children may self-harm to communicate inner conflict or emotional challenges that are not expressed in words. It could be a sign of a mental illness such as major depressive disorder or autism spectrum disorder. It could even be a medical condition such as epilepsy or eczema. Whatever the case, let us never turn a blind eye or chastise a child who is self-harming. Ignoring self-harm in children with the hope that it will go away is not only irresponsible; we, as adults, may worsen the child’s mental health until they harm themselves further or even kill themselves. It’s better to report and escalate your concern to another adult, such as a caregiver, educator, officer, or health worker in the community. Even if they think your concerns do not need intervention, being over-cautious is better than turning a blind eye.
For resources, please contact SADAG (South African Depression & Anxiety Group) at www.sadag.org, 0800 567 567, or SMS 31393.