Self Harm
What is self harming?
Self harming can be lots of different things. It's basically used as a coping strategy. It can be cutting, burning, pulling your hair, inserting sharp objects under your skin. But it is a coping strategy. If you have an emotional pain that won't go away and that you can't make sense of, by inflicting physical pain onto yourself, it gives a focus to that emotional pain and almost blurs out the emotional pain for that split second while you're hurting yourself.
Why do people harm themselves?
It is a coping strategy. It sometimes is instead of trying to kill yourself. It makes sense for people who hurt emotionally. It's an outlet. By harming themselves physically, they get rid of the build-up of emotional pain. It's not a very a positive way to deal with the emotional pain, but it becomes a cycle and it's important that people get support with that if they decide that they want to stop that as a coping strategy.
Isself harming just attention seeking?
Certainly not, no. It is, in many cases, a cry for help. It is a coping strategy, somebody might hurt themselves much more, but they choose a particular way of hurting themselves. It actually is quite controlled by them. So it certainly isn't just showing off.
I'm self harming but can't stop. What shall I do?
I would suggest that you want to stop. It's very important if you do choose to stop that you get professional help. It may involve counselling to look at why you're self harming. What is unresolved in your life that's causing the emotional pain? You may choose to talk to a friend about this. You can talk to Child Line, if you're a child or young person, about self harm and Child Line can give you ongoing support to look at why you're doing it and how you can stop doing it.
Do only women self harm?
Not at all, no. With self harm, it can be a coping strategy for both men and women. With suicide, more women attempt suicide but more men are successful because they choose ways of killing themselves, which are guaranteed to be more successful.
Is self harming something you grow out of?
Not at all, no. Self harming can stay with you for life because it is a coping strategy. Until you get help or decide you want help then it will probably stay with you as a coping strategy throughout your life.
Where can I go for help and advice about self harm?
For help and advice about self harm, you can go to the normal kind of places. You can ring up the NHS help line, especially if you hurt yourself while you're self harming. You could seek advice from your GP, and if you're at school - from your school nurse. Or you can ring ChildLine and get advice and support. There's also a very good website that you can go on and get some more information, and I believe that also has feedback from other people who self harm as well, and support.
Are people who are self-harming likely to commit suicide?
Self-harming is an alternative to suicide. It's a choice that people make not to try and kill themselves. The only time that it could lead to death is if it went wrong. If, for example, somebody did something too dangerous and it didn't work out, or if for example they cut their artery by mistake. But normally it is a choice to cope that way rather than killing yourself.
I self harmed and it felt really satisfying. Why does it feel so good?
When you self harm, you release yourself, and there's a cycle. It's almost an argument that people have, but they know they shouldn't do it and they don't want to do it, but there's a stronger argument for them doing it. The result to that argument when they do actually self harm is an adrenaline rush which is the feeling of euphoria that involves a natural euphoric feeling and a release to the pain which is numbed out for the period while that euphoria is working. Unfortunately, the pain does come back emotionally and that can led to the cycle again. But that accounts for the feeling of euphoria and happiness while it's actually happening
Self harming not only physical, is it?
No, self harm isn't only physical. It's about reckless lifestyles, it's about choosing to do sometimes dangerous sports. Now, that doesn't mean that everybody who does dangerous sports is self harming, but it does in some people, it's their way of demonstrating that there's a possibility they will get harmed. It can be about crossing a road in a careless way. In fact, if we look at our everyday activities, a lot of those kind of come under the self harm.
