I would recommend starting off with a very strong disclaimer, just to be on the safe side.
Self-harm first aid kit
By Cassie (Cassado)
Many people struggle with self-harm, but not as many take care of their injuries. People are often scared to seek help, or are unable to seek help without their
parent's [
Not sure if this was deliberately singular.] knowledge. Some people don't think their injuries need to be taken care of, and other people neglect them as a way to punish themselves. If you struggle from self-harm, you may benefit from having a first aid kit around.
First, you need to decide if a first aid kit is right for you. Ideally, they're helpful to have around so you can take care of your body to prevent infection. However, it is easy for you to make a first aid kit with the means of using it to justify or encourage self-harm. You may think that you have to self-harm because you have a first aid kit or you might feel as though you can try to make your injuries worse because the kit will help with everything. Having a first aid kit is not so you can self-harm, but rather to help you take care of yourself if you have self-harmed. A first aid kit is not a replacement for professional help, and you should definitely seek additional help if you think you need it. The following list is of a few items to consider keeping in your kit.
An old bathroom towel or a dish cloth. You can use an old towel as a barrier when you put pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. To clean
it,
[It may be a little clear as to whether "it" is the cloth or the wound, but possibly that's just the way I read it.] you can soak it in cold water and rub the fabric together. You can use a soap or a laundry detergent as well. If the towel is white or you don't particularly care about the color, you can consider bleaching it. Let it air dry if you can, as the heat from the dryer tends to set the stains in.
Gauze. You can get a roll of it, or purchase gauze pads. Removing adhesive gauze from cuts or burns can be painful, especially if you use a lot of pressure when applying them. Non adhesive is beneficial for deep wounds, while adhesive is better for other wounds. If you're unable to purchase gauze, consider looking into cotton rounds, which are usually found in the health and beauty section of a store. Cotton rounds are a bit smaller but they can be used for smaller injuries. Also consider getting bandages in a variety of sizes for different injuries.
Medical tape. Medical tape can be used to help the gauze stick on your skin. There is a wide variety, from hypoallergenic to foamy.
[In some of the other sections you talk about which varieties of items are better for particular uses, so if you wanted to extend this a bit you could potentially do that here.] To remove the tape residue from your skin, try a little bit of baby oil.
Butterfly stitches, or steristrips. Butterfly stitches are little strips that are used to help close the skin and encourage it to heal. They are normally used for small cuts, and they're good for cuts that have trouble closing on their own but don't quite need stitches.
However, Tthey are not a replacement for stitches from a medical center.
A cleaning agent. Solutions such as hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, and iodine can sometimes irritate a wound instead of help it. The best way to clean a cut is by using soap and water, but you can look into some gentle wound cleaner, such as the one by
Band-Aid.
Neosporin or the store brand equivalent. Neosporin helps treat and prevent infection by getting rid of bad bacteria on the skin or in a wound. Neosporin does help healing, but it doesn't make the wound heal any faster, contrary to popular belief. [I wasn't sure what this was so I had to look it up, and as far as I can tell it's only available in Canada and the US. Is there any way you could make this point more general, such as by referring to it in terms of what it does, eg. "antibacterial cream"? That way we're directing it towards users worldwide, rather than just America.]
An ice pack. Keep an ice pack in the freezer so it is readily available if you need it. You can use it to reduce swelling if you've self-harmed by bruising yourself or spraining a bone. You can also use it to reduce the swelling that accompanies some wounds. If you do not want to keep an ice pack in your freezer, consider getting an air activated cold pack that sticks to your skin.
Resources. You may benefit from keeping a folded copy of a list of
hotlines, or different emergency services to call in the event that you need professional medical attention. You can benefit from keeping a copy of
first aid information as well.