Samaritans · 2020
This Samaritans report examines the experiences of people in England with lived experience of non-suicidal self-harm, mapping the support they sought and how useful they found it. It finds that people who self-harm face significant barriers across the entire spectrum of care — being deemed too high-risk for some services while not meeting the threshold for others — leaving many without effective support. Key findings include that mental health services rarely address self-harm directly, GPs frequently fail to offer follow-up or referrals, and no single support type consistently meets people's needs. The report makes thirteen recommendations spanning NHS services, GP training, school and university provision, online safety, and voluntary sector funding.