Books about self-harm

TheSite.org has put together a list of books to help you if you're worried about any issues to do with self-harming, whether it's for you or someone else.

Who's hurting who?

A book based on interviews with 15 young people who talk about their experiences with the health services and why they decided to turn to self-harming in the first place.
Written by Helen Spandler (42^nd Street)

Women and Self-harm

Looks at the reasons why women self-harm and the social, emotional and psychological reasons that lead to it. The book includes a wide range of resources and provides information about recovery and healing. 
Written by Gerrilyn Smith, Dee Cox and Jacqui Saradjian (Women's Press Ltd)

Secret Scars: Uncovering and Understanding the Addiction of Self-injury

What is self-injury? Why do people deliberately hurt themselves? Why can't they stop? These are some of the questions that are looked at in this study.
Written by V.J. Turner (Hazelden Information & Educational Services)

Deliberate Self-Harm in Adolescence (Child & Adolescent Mental Health)

This book is mainly for professionals and parents of young people at risk of self-harming. It discusses the risk factors that lead to self-harm such as depression, substance abuse and antisocial behaviour.
Written by Claudine Fox and Keith Hawton (Jessica Kingsley Publishers)

When the Body Is the Target: Self-Harm, Pain, and Traumatic Attachments

Dr. Sharon K. Farber explains how addictive connections to pain and suffering develop into self-harm. It talks about the addiction surrounding the ritual of self-harm and how it can be treated.
Written by Sharon Klayman Farber (Jason Aronson)

Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation

Contains lots of information about self-harm including what it is, who does it, how it develops and how you can support someone.
Written by Steven Levenkron (W. W. Norton)

Self Harm: The Path to Recovery

What is self harm? How does it develop? What are the steps to recovery? How can I help someone who self-harms? This book draws on lots of statistics, case studies and research to demystify myths surrounding self-harm.
Written by Kate Middleton, Sara Garvie (Lion Publishing plc)

Healing the Hurt Within: Understand Self-injury and Self-harm, and Heal the Emotional Wounds

Help and guidance for family and friends about how to understand and respond to people who are self-harming.
Written by Jan Sutton (How To Books Ltd)

Good article? Bad info? We'd really like to hear what you've got to say about this section, so please click here to take the survey. Your feedback is confidential and as anonymous as you like.