12 year old self harming 'everyone does it at school'

[Libby456]

hi everyone, i hope you can help me in this.

Im friend with a mother of 8, one of her DDs is in year 7, shes 12 and shes been self harming. She comes from a loving family and for the three years i have known her she has been a very happy child.
She does however 'go with the social flow' as i put it. She hangs round with a 16 year old boy who self harms.
Her wrists were noticed by her sisters and her mum, when asked why she says everyone in my school does it, its normal.

While im aware its a common issue in schools i am concerned she is doing this simply because people she looks up to does it.

She puts on very concerning photos on instagram that have shown the cuts with little pill and knife emoticons. As i have had experience with self harm i messaged her offering a shoulder any time she needed, which she declined.

I really dont know what to do to help.

friend's DD knows exactly where to cut and they are quite severe so im extreemly worried she will really hurt herself because she thinks she should be doing it at her age.

I know this is not an easy question but any advice or experience willing to share i would really appreciate it.

Thank you.
Libs X

[peacoat]

Sadly there are whole online communities who cut and encourage each other to cut. This can extend to real contacts in schools.

I think it's worth exploring why she needs to follow the crowd. Does she find it difficult to make friends with people her own age? And if so, why?

It sounds like its more about belonging than wanting to self harm as such. An ongoing open and completely non-judgemental conversation is best.

However, it's not to be taken lightly. Get her mum to speak to her GP - she may refer to CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services).