Dionne first started self-harming when she was just 10 years old.

Dionne first started self-harming when she was just 10 years old.

Bullied at school and passed "from pillar to post" between her parents, foster carers and children's homes until her grandparents took her in, cutting and burning her arms was the only way she felt she could escape.

"There was no stability in my life and no loving parental relationship and I was bullied a lot. I felt alone all the time and I wanted a way to escape everything and self-harm gave me a sense of relief," she said.

For four years Dionne, 21, from Edinburgh, managed to keep her self-harm a secret, but eventually one of her teachers spotted marks on her arm during a school swimming lesson and asked her about them.

She confessed and the local authority brought in a raft of support services to help her, but her self-harm continued, and she even attempted suicide. "It didn't help me at the time because I didn't want help, I didn't admit that I needed help. Although people knew I was doing it there was nothing that could stop me," she said. Although her self-harm only gave her a fleeting sense of relief, and was quickly replaced by feelings of guilt, the practice continued for eleven years, only stopping when she became pregnant with her son last year and she realised the baby could be taken away from her if she didn't tackle the issue.

"When I found out I was pregnant I stopped overnight. I knew that if I was still self-harming there was no way social work would have let me keep him," she said.

Although Dionne believes nothing would have stopped her from self-harming once it had taken hold, she believes that if she had greater support and guidance when she was still at primary school she might have stopped.

"I wish I had asked for help earlier. I would say to other people don't suffer in silence and remember you're not alone".