Sir – At the Centre for Suicide Research, we investigate the problem of self-harm in young people, including in the Oxford area.

Self-harm is clearly a major issue in adolescents and young adults. We are very concerned about the impact of a young person’s self-harm on the parents and family, a topic that is not often addressed. Parents tell us that after they discover a son or daughter has been self-harming they can feel very alone and isolated and may struggle to find help and support.

At the University of Oxford, in collaboration with the charity healthtalk.org, we have developed a web-based resource to help parents feel less alone and to give them information that can help them cope with their child’s problems.

The website includes video, audio and text extracts from interviews with 39 family members of young people who have self-harmed. It covers topics such as the impact on the family, how to support their child, treatment options and advice from other parents. It also provides information for parents and carers on what to expect from hospitals, schools and mental health services, including individual families’ experiences with the healthcare system.

This resource is freely available and can be found at www.healthtalk.org/peoples-experiences/mental-health/self-harm-parents-experiences/topics or by searching the Healthtalk.org website.

We hope that viewing this website will help parents who are trying to cope with a child’s self-harm and show them that they are not alone. This is especially important when children and families may be struggling to cope with modern pressures.

Dr Anne Ferrey and Professor Keith Hawton
Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry
Warneford Hospital, Oxford