Self-harming is not associated with suicide. Despite vocalizing thoughts around 'wishing they were dead' anxiety disorder sufferers do not take their own lives; in fact, this is the last thing they would want or do. Sometimes, unfortunately, people fail to regulate their self-harming and have passed away as a result.

Anxious people often describe themselves as 'too scared to live and too scared to die". Whilst being dead would be easier, they do not wish to die.

Self-harming is more about the sensation used as a distraction or a release than it is about wanting to cause damage. Whilst some people have recognised a trend in these behaviours, we recognize strongly that this is not a 'fad' but a general increase in this particular group of anxiety disorders.

Self-harming is 'obsessive compulsive' and no different from any other manifestation of obsessive behaviours. Self-harming is NOT depression. It is NOT psychosis. It is NOT mental illness... despite looking and seeming so 'wrong', it's actually more associated with biting your nails or chewing your lip, than it is to any form of mental illness. It just manifests so catastrophically that it appears to be a deeper issue.

Psychology tends to categorize and sub-categorize in a constant cycle designed to control patients, to build on service provision and to maintain jobs within the sector - this in no way changes their inability to create recovery, that is constant.

We produce recovery. Please watch an example of the outcomes we create in Hollie's video, above.