Forms of self harm?

Question

Should people who hit themselves, seek help as much as those who cut? Or should they keep quiet as its more likely to be ignored and it isn't as harmful?

I know many people think it's attension seeking, no matter what the method but if you are going to answer with something of that nature or hurtful, please don't..have some respect for people in pain.

x

Answer 1

There are many ways to self harm, most of which we probably don't hear about, obviously as self harm happens secretly and there is an element of shame about it . Most people associate self harm with teenagers cutting themselves but this is not the case. It happens to all ages in all walks of life in many different ways. It doesn't matter what method you use and what degree of harm you inflict on yourself ,if you do anything to harm yourself then there is a problem. It annoys me when people say that it is attention seeking, I don't believe anyone would inflict pain on themselves just for attention and if they did then there would be a problem there too. . Self harming has only recently been discussed in public so openly as mental illness is still taboo and swept under the carpet a great deal. Many people who self harm injure themselves badly, scarring for instance, it must be dreadful to face these scars day after day being constantly reminded of the problem but you just can't stop. Very often the people closest are unaware it's happening and when they find out they are so shocked and just don't know how to deal with it. Probably they are afraid if this is brought out in the open it will worsen the situation and that person will lose trust in them. People who self harm should never feel afraid to talk to someone or be afraid of being judged, easy to say from someone who hasn't suffered with it. It is an illness not just a phase as some people think and we should all be better informed about it. Above all if you do self harm you have nothing to be ashamed of and seek help, no one should suffer unneccesarily!

Answer 2

Not enough is done to help these people, example if you had a bad Heart then people would be very sympathetic.
However if you have a Brain illness most people will shun the person who is ill, I know because we had a good few friends or should I say so called.
My wife has Bi Polar when she had a bad TIME all THE SO CALLED DISAPPEARED!!!
Self harm can be cutting , Banging the Head as you said hitting, overdosing and Drowning their are probably more but that is an example.
So if you see people like this try and HELP the because they won`t do harm to you and at the end of the Day it Could happen to anyone .
Mental Illness has no BORDERS Rich, Poor, Young and Old and all the colours you can think of.
Keep Well.

Answer 3

I wouldnt say it was less harmful,if you hit yourself hard enough you could break bones! I think if you feel that you need help then go and get it. No matter what kind of self harm you do,whether it be hitting,cutting,burning,pulling out hair,misusing drugs...whatever.If you want help and want to stop then you have every right to do that.A good doctor will not ignore hitting as a form of self harm,they will help you.

People who say that self harming is attention seeking do not understand and have no interest in understanding. Self harm is a coping mechanism, a way of dealing with emotions which are too painful. For a self harmer, they feel they have no other way of expressing themselves and self harming helps them blow off steam,as it were. I think a lot of people get angry about self harming because it scares them,they cannot understand why someone would want to hurt themselves and possibly they are afraid that the person might hurt someone else.

I don't know if you asked this question in relation to yourself or someone you know.If it is yourself-seek help if YOU feel you want it,don't be ashamed of what you do or the way in which you do it. If someone you know self harms,just support them,be there for them if they want to talk and try and understand.

Peace.x

Answer 4

It's not just a case of attention seeking. As a teenager, my sister and brother had moved out and I got all my parents' and Mam's sisters attention. However, in the case of my aunts, it wasn't always good attention; one in particular, the matriarch of the family, whom I was expected to agree with and obey without question .... whom I also bore a remarkable physical similarity to; seemed to think I was the most useless creature on the planet.

I was also getting bullied at school but the attitude from the aunts was that I must be putting myself in the situation by egging them on. I wanted to stay on at school and had the forms all filled out but I needed my parents' signatures, the aunt disuaded them claiming that I was so thick (I'm actually quite bright but have Asperger's Syndrome which no-one knew about then) that I would be wasting everyone's time and energy.

I existed in abject misery whilst having to be outwardly jolly, I cut, I bit, I burnt, I punched. Yes it hurt but there was a satisfaction in the pain.

I have a huge blister on my right leg. I have no idea how I came to have it, I certainly can't remember burning myself or scalding myself, I only know I've had it since I was a late teen. If it's knocked it bursts and hurts.

Between you (several thousand) and me, I do take the top skin off (pick it) and tell everyone that it's been knocked which is quite believable as I'm a carer and my ladies/gentlemen are always kicking out or swinging zimmers and sticks in our direction.

It's only occasionally though and that's the only form of self harm I do now. Strangely enough, the self-harm stopped when I discovered Asperger's existed and asked to be referred to a psychologist. So much fell into place.

Answer 5

Self-harm can be anything from cutting yourself, to hitting yourself. Often people will hit themselves instead of cutting, as they can hide it more easily than scars or cuts. So yes, it is just as much of a problem, as it is the motive behind it that the people need to get sorted out and talk about. No-one will ignore someone who is self-harming, no matter in what form.

Answer 6

Real hard question to answer but I think anyone that hurts them selves in anyway should seek help. I don't like the word attention seeker as most people that self harm are not attention seekers. There is a great stigma about self harm but I have seen it in all different forms and its not good. no professional should ignore anyone that comes to them for help and if they do that is very morally wrong and stupid as the hitting could lead to more and should/does need dealing with.

Answer 7

In some cases it can be attention seeking but it is a dramatic way to get attention and shows that things are not right in that persons life.

I think most people who self-harm do so as a way to get out the pain in a physical way that is screaming in their head.It can stop them from exploding.

It gives them the same feeling of controll that anorexics get when they starve themselves.

Yes they do need help but like any self-harmer be it food, drink , cutting or hitting they have to want to be helped, and that is the difficult part.

Answer 8

Hi,

I used to self harm alot when I was a teenager. I went slightly beyond the cutting (which I did as well) but went to "digging" holes in my arms with knives and scissors, sometimes even a compass.

I did not do it for the attention, and in fact kept the wounds very well hidden from family and friends.

I did it for the feeling as I can recall. You see I used to actually enjoy the feeling of the pain.

There is a good reason for this. You see it is medically proven that self harming can in fact become adictive due to the bodies chemical reaction th e cutting and the pain. As we all know, the body has a great defence mechanism, and will administer its own chemicals to numb the feeling and to start the healing process.

I beleive that self harming is a it says. Anything you do to yourself that causes harm.

Answer 9

Having been there, there's a difference between self harming and attention seeking.

For instance, I never told anyone, never left marks where they could be seen, it was very calculated and organised. I read medical books to make sure I didn't cut too much. However, if someone is cutting then telling everyone, they are attention seeking!

I feel hitting is as serious as cutting, it's still self destruction. And therefore, when they feel ready, they will be able to ask for help from people who can help and who will understand and not judge. Self harmers need support and understanding, not closed minded people who critisize.

Answer 10

Yes i think help should be sought because there is an underlying reason behind self harm which needs to be resolved.
Some people do think it is attention seeking but if that is the case then why do people hide that they are doing it. Many people are ashamed that they self harm.
I was told that it can be a way of diverting inner pain by making yourself hurt physically or it could be because the person feels angry or guilty. I selfharmed because i felt i had hurt others and wanted to hurt myself as punishment.
My daughter used to bite herself and gets help with anger management.