Self harm occurs when you hurt or harm yourself, more often than not due to some form of emotional pain. It is very rarely done due to what some refer to as attention seeking, it is more common that it is done in secret and action is taken to minimize others from seeing the damage, such as wearing long jumpers or concealing in other ways. Self harm takes many forms such as overdosing, cutting, burning, bitting, scratching, throwing yourself into an object, punching, inserting objects into the body or swallowing objects. Every single one has the intention of reducing or controlling emotional pain or the lack of emotions may it be due to abuse, guilt or lack of being in touch with reality.
Self harm is usually done calmly and deliberate and is performed by someone with very high emotions, distress or unbearable inner pain, self harm can take place spontaneously or planned in advance. Usually self harm occurs multiple times and is not generally an isolated incident, self harm is not restricted to age anyone at almost any age can and do resort to self harm.
Although some may perceive self harm as a mild form of suicide, however self harm is very rarely done to end life but rather to preserve it, just like suicide unless you have tried to self harm yourself, know someone who has tried to harm themselves or work with someone who has tried then it can be almost impossible to understand the pain and turmoil that leads someone to perform self harm.
Why do people self harm ?
There are many different responces people get from self harming and reasons why people do it, the most common being:
When the emotional pain becomes unbearable it acts as a way to reduce the build up of pressure inside
The pain from hurting yourself can override any pain you feel emotionally
The sight of blood dripping from a cut can be very relaxing, feeling like the blood is taking away any bad feelings inside
When you feel numb or dead inside the pain can make you feel alive
Punishing yourself for things you have done or for guilt
Makes you feel in control, something you are unable to get elsewhere
When you are unable to sleep due to thoughts or stress, hurting youself may make you more relaxed
A form of non-verbal communication, to express how unhappy or upset you are
Among the physical scars and injuries caused by self harming, you can also become addicted using it as a way to control everything in your life, or to get that rush of endorphines that are produced when you injure yourself, the scars can reduce your self-esteem even more and infection or poisoning that can occur from self harm can be more fatal than the harming itself.
The main reasons people self harm are:
Phsyical or sexual abuse
Depression
Relationship problems
Financial difficulties
Employment problems
Bullying
Feeling socially outcast
Powerless, lack of control
Mental illness
Effects of self harm
The effects of self harm depend entirely on the method being used, how often and how aggressive. A list of common generic effects are listed:
Loss of sensation in areas where harm has been subjected
Addiction to harm, using it as a way to solve all emotional problems
Scarring and permanent marks (This can also cause psychological problems)