Self Harm

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What is Self-Harm / Damaging yourself?

This is when you do things to yourself that damage or harm your mind or body. This harming is carried out deliberately, often in secrecy. Self-harming occurs when people are under a high level of stress and can be caused by another problem.
Self-harm can be a survival technique used by individuals who wish to expel negativity or communicate non-verbally about their inner feelings and state of mind. It can be used when individuals do not feel good, to make those feelings go away. The self-harming is a way of releasing tension and anger. The physical pain it causes feels more manageable than the inner emotional pain that is more difficult to cope with. Self-harming can increase feelings of control; especially if there are parts of life that they feel they have little or no control over.

There are many ways people self-harm some examples of these are,
· Cutting and scratching.
· Burning.
· Swallowing sharp objects.
· Poisoning.
· Causing bruising.
· Breaking bones.
· Falling over.
· Picking skin off areas of the body.
· Pulling hair out.
· Banging the head against the wall or punching walls.
· Drinking large amounts of alcohol.
· Drug taking. Prescription or non-prescription drugs.

Self-harm is more common in women than men, generally the breakdown is three women who self-harm to every one man.  Secrecy surrounding self-harm does however make it very difficult to gather reliable statistical evidence.

The motivation behind the need to self-harm is the key and needs to be considered and understood.

• Does the person want to die or escape from an intolerable situation?
• With appropriate support would the self-harm diminish?
• Is there a chance that the urge to self-harm and hurt themselves further could grow even stronger and result in them attempting to end their life?

Have you behaved in a similar way? If the answer is yes,  you have self harmed, or are still harming yourself. Descride how you are feeling and what is happening in your life at present and an expert can help you.

Updated: 27th March 2009