Why does my friend hit herself in the head when shes upset?

Question

My friend is relativly normal. She had some rough tmies when she was a kid, she's in college now. But sometimes she gets triggered into these upset crying spells, and sometimes she will start banging her fits into her head and legs.....she doesnt understand why afterwards too.....It really dosent fit her daily normal personality..so im not sure why.....Any feedback?????

in response to the first answer who replied.......you say autisim? doubt it...unless it can go undiscovered for 25 years.........can it? shes 25, i wouldent be surprised if she was....she is brilliant.....but id be surprised that no one knew that for so long?

PS: whats a VB?

Answer 1

she was hit in the head as a child!

Answer 2

Sometimes I do that when my wife yells at me. Sometimes I punch walls and break stuff.

A little pain can actually feel good because the brain releases natural pain killers called endorphins that can temporarily make you feel better. A lot of people who have depression or anxiety figure out that it makes them feel a little better--some people do it without even being aware of it.

Your friend might have some depression and/or anxiety symptoms; the "tough times when she was a kid" might be related. If it gets really bad and she has trouble coping with school and so on, maybe she should talk to a doctor. If it doesn't really interfere with her life and she can cope with things, maybe she doesn't need treatment at all. Having an unusual habit isn't that bad, as long as she doesn't hurt herself and she tries not to do that when she's around people she doesn't know.

I have a diagnosis of Depression and I work in the mental health field.

Answer 3

All I can say is that I sometimes do the same thing out of anger. It is not because she is crazy but because she is crazed at the time! I am a high school student who is very brilliant (not tooting my own horn) lol! On a more serious note though, I believe that in her times of anger she feels the urge to take it on something and maybe there are no items around that she can throw and break!!! Try to keep a plate or glass near her at all times so that when she has sudden outbursts, instead of hitting/abusing herself she can just throw it! Or talk to her about seeing a doctor! If it indeed is serious and she refuses to go to a doctor, consult one without her knowledge! I hope my advice helps!!!

Answer 4

It sounds like post traumatic stress. I have post traumatic stress and have anxiety so i know how she feels. My sister use to cut herself really bad, she has a lot of self defeat inside her but she also has a lot of fight too. Most teenage girls suffer what she has but not as severe as your cousin. The reason she hits herself is cause she blames herself for something, maybe cause the standards society puts on young women, to be perfect. It also sounds like she is too into her head and not into her body, she finds it safer in her head than in her body. Being in your head is an escape, a way to deal with and avoid problems. What she needs to do is to slowly and comfortably build her tolerance up in order for her to deal with her emotions. Emotions are very powerful in a young girls life. The way you build your tolerance up is by getting use to the uncomfortable feelings, do it slowly, safely and gradually. Tell her to take notice of the physical and emotional feeling in her body, let that feeling be there and don't avoid it. That feeling is what builds your tolerance, start slow.

Answer 5

I work with people who have had brain injuries and this is a very very common response when people are agitated. They almost go into a zone where their body 'forces' them to do this without realizing what they are doing. I ahve learned alot about human behavior and the drives of humans through working with these people. I think that sometimes when people get agitated, scared, upset, or in those situations something is realeased in their brains and blood stream to make them do this. They may feel tingling sensations in their head, face, or legs causing them to move them or react to it. sometimes it seems like people go off the deep end when they get in this zone. I have seen it happen so many times with people who are almost 'normal' to people who are very out of it after their injury.

Answer 6

It's her way to feel less upset. Some people do different things to make the "pain" go away. Maybe when she was a small kid, she find that this way can reduce her "pain", then she'll do that all the time or even all of his life unless there'll be something or somebody who will change it.

Answer 7

I used to do that too. I'm smart too (yeah right). I don't know what made me stop. It's been about a year. I think its maybe because I got over what happened to me as a kid. Encourage her to see a psychologist. It might help. It did for me.

Answer 8

Advice your friend to be cool this is because of the stress ask her to do yoga in the morning

Answer 9

Autism?

Answer 10

definate wierdo. crazy social issues