Self-injury Awareness Day (SIAD) (also known as Self-Harm Awareness Day) is a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...

annual global awareness event / campaign on March 1, where on this day, and in the weeks leading up to it and after, some people choose to be more open about their own

self-harm Self-harm is intentional behavior that is considered harmful to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues usually without a suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-injury and self-mutilatio ...

, and awareness organizations make special efforts to

raise awareness Consciousness raising (also called awareness raising) is a form of activism popularized by United States feminists in the late 1960s. It often takes the form of a group of people attempting to focus the attention of a wider group on some cause or ...

about self-harm and self-injury. Some people wear an orange

awareness ribbon Awareness ribbons are symbols meant to show support or raise consciousness for a cause. Different colours and patterns are associated with different issues. Yellow ribbons, in the United States, are used to show that a close family member is a ...

, write "LOVE" on their arms, draw a butterfly on their wrists in awareness of "the Butterfly Project"

wristband Wristbands are encircling strips worn on the wrist or lower forearm. The term can be used to refer to a bracelet-like band, similar to that of a wristwatch, to the cuff or other part of a sleeve that covers the wrist, or decorative or function ...

or beaded bracelet to encourage awareness of self-harm. The goal of the people who observe SIAD is to break down the common stereotypes surrounding self-harm and to educate medical professionals about the condition.

Background

Depression and self-harm often go hand-in-hand, though there are many other reasons people self-harm. As many as two million Americans currently engage in self-harm, with methods like cutting, burning, scratching, bruising, and hitting themselves. It’s said that these behaviors promote feelings of control and help relieve tension, while helping the person express their emotions and escape the numbness that accompanies depression. SIAD was created to spread

awareness Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some inform ...

and understanding of self-injury, which is often misrepresented and misunderstood in the mainstream. Those who self-harm are often left feeling alone and afraid to reach out for help because they fear they will be seen as "crazy".

Participating organizations

Organizations involved in SIAD include: * Sociedad Internacional de Autolesión * LifeSIGNS (Self-Injury Guidance & Network Support) * Self-Injury Foundation * YoungMinds * ChildLine * The Mix * Adolescent Self-Injury Foundation * cars for hope

References

{{Reflist March observances Health awareness days Disability observances Self-harm

Background

Participating organizations

See also

References