Self-Harm
If you are hurting yourself, or thinking about self-harm, we want you to know that you are not alone — and that reaching out, even just to read this page, takes courage.
Self-harm is not attention-seeking. It is not a failed suicide attempt. For most people, it is a way of managing emotional pain that has become too intense or too overwhelming to bear in any other way. It can bring a temporary sense of release, control, or relief when everything else feels out of control. Understanding that does not make it safe — but it does make it human.
Self-harm can take many forms, including cutting, burning, hitting, or other ways of deliberately hurting the body. It can also be less visible — such as restricting food, substance use, or putting yourself in harmful situations. Not all self-harm looks the same, and not all of it leaves marks that others can see.
People who self-harm often describe:
- Feeling overwhelmed by emotions that seem too big, too intense, or impossible to express in words
- A sense of numbness or disconnection — and using physical pain as a way to feel something, or to feel real
- A need for control in situations where everything else feels chaotic or unpredictable
- Shame and secrecy — hiding what is happening, feeling unable to tell anyone, and carrying it alone
- A temporary sense of relief followed by guilt, shame, or a return of the same difficult feelings
- Wanting to stop but not knowing how to cope without it
Self-harm is not a phase to push through, and it is not something you should have to manage on your own. The behaviour itself is often a signal — that something deeper is asking to be heard and addressed.
At Singapore Counselling Centre, our counsellors provide a safe, non-judgmental space where you can talk about what is happening without fear of shock, criticism, or being told simply to stop. We understand that self-harm has been serving a purpose — and our work is to help you understand that purpose, process what lies beneath it, and develop other ways of coping that don’t put you at risk.
You deserve care. And you deserve a way through this that doesn’t hurt you.
If you are in crisis or feel that you may harm yourself seriously, please contact the Institute of Mental Health’s crisis helpline at 6389 2222 (24 hours) or the Samaritans of Singapore at 1767 (24 hours).
