Calm Harm App May Have Value For Teens, Adults

It is estimated that one in 12 teenagers, mostly girls, self-harm, according to a study by the Center for Adolescent Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Australia. In an effort to help those suffering with mental health issues, a new app called ‘Calm Harm’ is targeting those with anxiety or depression. The app has gained recent popularity online because it can be tailored to each person’s needs and will provide strategies to help a person get past the moment of wanting to self-harm. The app uses actual waves to help you 'surf' or ride out the urge to self-harm.  You can choose from a variety of options: comfort, distract, express yourself, release, random and breathe and the app features other activities such as roll a dice that allows you to 'think of that many number of things that have made you feel good' or 'count how many patterns you can see in your room' and 'visualize your kitchen and count the colors you can see there.' It's imagery as a therapeutic tool, a way to ground and calm you at a potential moment of crisis. These activities are designed to help distract a person from wanting to self-harm long enough to be able to learn to conquer that feeling. The app may have broader appeal to adults as well. 

The app is free and accessible to anyone with a smart phone. 

--Report by Erin O'Donnell