ABSTRACT
Nurses in schools, hospitals, prisons and community settings come into contact with children and young people who harm themselves. This chapter explores some of the myths and realities about self-harm and uses an evidence-based framework to guide nurses and other professionals who are required to assess, treat and support children in both front-line services and residential settings. Self-harm is heterogeneous, which means that it signifi es different things in different people. Current evidence for the assessment of self-harm and clinical interventions are discussed. The development of mental health nursing in relation to self-harm is also described. Case vignettes are used to illustrate the different ways in
which self-harm is understood and how a variety of nursing interventions can be used to meet young people’s needs.
