Here for someone

Self-harm · Professional help

Help them find professional support

You can help with the practical steps without becoming their only source of safety.

Start with their GPThe NHS says it is best to speak to a GP about self-harm. Offer help with booking, notes, travel or attending if the person wants you there.
Do not wait for a routine appointment if someone's life is at risk. Call 999 or go to A&E. For urgent mental-health help without immediate danger, call their existing crisis team if they have one. Otherwise open the urgent-help page and call the service shown for their UK nation.

Prepare for the appointment

  • Ask what the person most wants help with.
  • Write down when the difficulty began and any recent changes.
  • Include the effect on daily life and any suicidal thoughts if relevant.
  • List current medicines, services and previous support.
  • Ask what happens next and who to contact if things worsen.
Source: NHS
NHS: where to get help for self-harm.

After attending hospital

NICE says people who present to a healthcare setting after self-harm should receive a psychosocial assessment from a mental-health professional at the earliest opportunity. The assessment should explore the person's needs, strengths, safety and the circumstances around the self-harm. You can ask what assessment and follow-up plan have been arranged.

Source: NICE
NICE NG225 recommendations and NICE quality statement on psychosocial assessment.

If they are under 18

YoungMinds explains routes through a GP, school or children and young people's mental-health services. Its Parents Helpline can help a parent or carer think through the next step. Availability and referral arrangements vary locally.

Source: YoungMinds
YoungMinds: self-harm parent guide.

If support is refused

Ask what decision was made, who made it, why and what is offered instead. Keep using urgent routes if the situation changes while a referral, reconsideration or complaint is under way.

They will not accept helpServices have said noSupporting over time

This page organises public guidance from the linked organisations; it has not been clinically reviewed by Here for Someone and contains no treatment recommendation of its own.

Sources checked: 28 August 2026

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