Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, any advice would be really appreciated.
My son has again self harmed, he has used a pen ' as a gun and stabbed his leg over and over again, it made me happy'
Is what he said.
We are on the wait for CAMHS after he got admitted for self harm and suicide thoughts he tried to take his light bulb out to electrocute himself
I have emailed and tried to call CAMHS
But they don't respond for a week.
Does anyone have any advice. What can I do to help my son?
He's so little.
My 5 year old daughter has had some awful injuries caused by a rage. Including her teeth knocked out. All is logged. But still no help for anyone
Has anyone experienced the same or similar, did it get better? If so how? Thank you
Thank you so much CM. I'm sorry you have had struggles as well.
It's very interesting about sensory needs.
He has seen an OT and does have quite a few.
I will have a research into this.
Thank you
Thank you for all the information x
Hello AbC123
I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing this with your son. You may like to have a look at the following information from the NAS: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/professional-practice/self-harm
You can find advice and information on how to go about seeking help for your son's mental health as well as links to other resources and details of helplines and listening support services here: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/seeking-help
You can also request an assessment of your son's needs and a carer's assessment for yourself. You can read our guides on how to go about this for each UK region here: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/social-care
You can call your GP and make an urgent appointment if your son is expressing suicide thoughts again. If it’s outside your GP hours call 111 to reach the NHS 111 service:https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care-services/when-to-use-111/ The Samaritans also provide confidential non-judgemental emotional support, 24 hours a day on 116 123, or by email on jo@samaritans.org MIND have information pages on coping with self harm based on the experiences of people who’ve been through it that you may find helpful https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/self-harm/about-self-harm/
If your son, daughter or anyone in your family is hurt call 999 or go to your nearest A&E department.
Best wishes
Sharon Mod
A short disclaimer: I experienced mental health problems much older than your son is now, and to a less severe extent. I am also able to communicate verbally and both cope and mask quite ‘well’. What I discuss in my comment is based off my own experience with self harm (s/h), and may not be best in this situation. If anyone has input that is more relevant to OP’s situation, that would be welcomed. This is obviously a very triggering discussion and I have found the ‘CALM’ helpline useful in the past (they have a text service).
For me, I now realise a lot of the s/h behaviour actually came from unmet sensory needs. While there was a significant emotional component, the feeling of pain gave me body awareness that my brain was sorely lacking. My s/h behaviour when I was older was very structured and rigid, but even as a young child who did not s/h I distinctly remember hitting my head against the wall because the different textures/movements compacting (skin vs skull) was a novel and different sensation. Both reduced vestibular awareness and reduced sensation are often present in autism. Reduced sensation is not necessarily the same as being touch averse, for example in my case I struggle with noticing food on my face, but if someone was to touch my face I would experience it very intensely (this is due to a mixture of factors, like the transient nature of touch + anxiety). There are a few suggestions online and in this community I’m sure about things that can help this awareness- like sensory swings, playing on equipment/trampolines, water play (depending on his opinion on water), there’s a lot out there. You could also try harm reduction techniques, like snapping a rubber band or using a stiff brush, although the fixation on ‘experiencing a specific harm’ meant I personally struggled to implement this.
I’m also a huge believer in horses for therapy, Riding for the Disabled may be suitable (depending on the severity/frequency of the behaviour, as it is often facilitated by volunteers who are not equipped to handle challenging or unsafe behaviour) or hippotherapy - the textures of the horses and their breath/sounds is great sensory feedback, and their movement stimulates all the balance/coordination systems. Unfortunately both do tend to have a long waiting list, and if your son is very sensory averse/anxious it might not be suitable, I just want to mention it as it’s truly incredible in my opinion.
I hope you can all find a solution that works for everyone soon.