Self-harm is when you hurt yourself on purpose. This includes, swallowing harmful chemicals, cutting yourself, overdosing and many more. One of the most common forms of self-harm is cutting. A lot of people get judged for self-harming, because they apparently want attention. This is just a stereotype. Some people do self-harm for attention, but not everyone. Most people self-harm as a form of escape, or to show they have feelings, or to show how they feel on the inside on the outside. Not many people understand cutting and they think it's stupid. They don't understand how addictive cutting is, once you start it becomes a sort of painkiller, a way to release the pain you're feeling inside. Also don't say to someone who cuts that it's for attention. If someone walks around with their scars showing it could mean they want attention, or it could mean that they aren't afraid to show people that they had cut... Sometimes it means that they want people to like them mistakes and all. I know all of this because I cut myself for two years. I managed to stop after telling my parents. It's a hard thing to stop once you've started, it's very addictive. If you know someone who cuts themselves just be there for them, if they want to talk about it let them ramble on until they've gotten it all out; that way they won't feel like no-one's listening. Make sure they know that you care because it always helps knowing that someone is there for you
"You self-harmed? What's wrong?!"
"Everything.... I just feel like no-one understands"
"Tell me what's up, and I'll try my hardest to understand"
"Everything.... I just feel like no-one understands"
"Tell me what's up, and I'll try my hardest to understand"
by jdhfvkreodcnuwehsimc329283 May 20, 2013
You know why people cut? Because it's a distraction. For one moment you don't feel all the pain. The loss. The hurt. All you feel is that razor going into your skin. The blood dripping down your arm. Leg. Stomach. You don't think about how alone you are or how fat and ugly you are. You don't think about the way people talk about you behind your back. You don't think about how your family is fighting or your friends hate you. All you think about is the blood. And the addicting part? Well, that's when all the hurt and pain come back. When the cut isn't fresh and you can feel all the build-up of sadness or loneliness inside you. So you have to do it again, but a little deeper so the numbness will last longer. The pain inside will be delayed longer. And as the pain inside gets worst and worst you have to make the pain outside worse and worse. It's all about control. You have it. You can't control the pain on the inside so you get to control it on the outside.
Signs of someone who self-harms can be that they always wear hoodies or long sleeves even when it's not cold.
by Amy1102004 August 24, 2021
Self harm is the worst way to cope with your problems. A little bit of background info on what it is, its a form of coping/therapy to people who clearly have a hard time. I hate it when people assume that its for attention and they think its funny to call someone barley hanging on to life "emo" or "attention seeker". I know this because I am in that current state. I shouldn't be doing something so horrible to myself but its a addiction that progresses and get worse as you keep doing it. I am making this due to my own actions and my friends actions, it hurts me to see people turn out like me especially at my age. Self harm is a way of hurting yourself because you think you deserve it (In my own experience that's how I felt). And the horrible people who think its funny to see someone in pure pain can all go to hell. Self harm is so bad for your health and it puts you in the dark state i'm in, its a path I want nobody to go through. And the people who purposely hurt themselves for attention, I hope they are miserable. Self harm hurts so bad mentally and psychically. People think self harming is attention seeking and it hurts because nobody really understands till they end up in the same state of the person. To anyone thinking about self harm, please don't..Its a addiction that doesn't stop when it starts, Please find someone to talk to and take care of yourself. Drink some water and please stay safe <3
"Hey _____ likes self-harm what a fucking emo haha!"
"You sick fucking bastard don't speak to me again."
"You sick fucking bastard don't speak to me again."
by I love alex <3 March 23, 2022
An addictive act of cutting, hitting, burning, ect. ones self. The majority of people think self harm is a form of "attention seaking", with most cases it's not. However there's people who do self harm as a way to make people feel bad for them. Most people who self harm started doing it because of depression but now they cannot stop because thats the only escape they have.
by small.persons October 14, 2017
OK, despite what some people think, and generalise, self harmers are not all emo, and don't all do it in the same way.
For example, a previous post described that it is normally on the wrist lower arms, and in certain shapes every time.
This isn't the case; people may also do if for any reason on their stomach, legs, chest and upper arms.
People that carve pretty stars and flowers into their arms are just attention seeking idiots that need to grow up.
Self harm is something that affects over 20% of teenagers aged 12 - 19, and can seriously affect people's lives. People who suffer from depression may self harm, and people who don't.
People, please change today.
When you see a kid with scars on their wrists and tear tracks, don't judge them; don't automatically call them emo.
Just be caring towards them;
Help end self harm!
For example, a previous post described that it is normally on the wrist lower arms, and in certain shapes every time.
This isn't the case; people may also do if for any reason on their stomach, legs, chest and upper arms.
People that carve pretty stars and flowers into their arms are just attention seeking idiots that need to grow up.
Self harm is something that affects over 20% of teenagers aged 12 - 19, and can seriously affect people's lives. People who suffer from depression may self harm, and people who don't.
People, please change today.
When you see a kid with scars on their wrists and tear tracks, don't judge them; don't automatically call them emo.
Just be caring towards them;
Help end self harm!
by PoisonousLithium May 31, 2009
Alot of people confuse self harm with attention seeking or the populer mainstream fad wich is "emo". This is not the truth, alot of self harmers despise emo's due to the fact that their bullshit immitation self harming has completely biased people towards the subject( bear in mind I am talking about emo in a general sense, Im not denying that an emo can have real problems, Im simply pointing out that the vast majority dont). Emo's go around drawing attention to their pathetic attempts and claiming that they are truly missunderstood. Not only does anyone who genuinly self harms for relevant reasons get labelled attention seeking but they'r also labelled as emo's, wich greatly pisses off anyone who has any concept of what it really feals like to truly want to self mutilate due to any particular genuine reason. Self harm is not about getting attention or making a statement, self harm is about release, mainly of stress. This can actually be explained scientifically, the adrenalin triggered by shedding blood somehow eliminates the brain signals and hormones produced by stress, stress that could be caused by any number of things, every one of them real. Often when somebody is hurt emotionally, the survival technique of numbing out the feelings is employed, this ultimately stops the person from feeling hurt but also prevents them from feeling other emotions, much like shock. The mind is not used to this, and often people cut to prove to themselves that they can still feel emotion. Also in some cases it is impossible for a person to cry without cutting, as anybody knows crying is essential for the release of some emotions, not continual crying, but often if a person does not cry for long periods of time they will need some other release.Somebody who is unable to cry without cutting, they often cannot cry because they associate crying with showing weakness, time has tought that when you show people your weaknesses they often target and manipulate those weaknesses, therefore a person may only be able to cry in response to real physical pain, thus releaving their REAL emotional pain. Cutting can happen for a vast amount of reasons, the prejudice associated with it is not fair and only goes on to make matters worse, it is essential that people understand what they are looking at before they decide to judge.
The classic example of a real cutter is somebody who has been brought up without being tought how to release their emotions correctly, somebody who is victimised, and classically somebody who has no friends or family to talk to about their various problems or worries. However any one person can be a genuine self harmer, it only takes a few unfortunate circumstances, you'd be suprised at how messed up humans really are.
by Brain ...property of pinky. May 21, 2006
Self harm refers to the willful act of harming oneself. Many people simply group its many forms under "cutting," but this is technically incorrect. Self harming is usually triggered by an underlying behavioural or emotional disorder, such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or bipolar disorder, or total lack of feeling. The main reason why people self harm is because it simulates an attack, and produces endorphins, among other hormones, which provide comfort to the self harmer. However, there are many dangers in self harming:
-If the self harmer cuts a little too deep, they might not be able to stop the bleeding.
-Hepatitis B, and other blood-bourne diseases.
-Scars are unattractive. At best.
Additionally, it's highly addictive and hard to break. It's equivalent to ending an eating disorder. The psychological addiction level is very high, as one might suspect, but there is a physical aspect of the addiction: The hormones released after an act of self harm are tangible things which can be very difficult to be separated from. While someone is quitting self harming, there may be disturbing outward manifestations of the desire to harm, such as sadism. These symptoms will pass with time.
In short, self harm disorder is not something to be trifled with. Its association with a certain style of clothing and music is unfortunate, and self harming to try and conform with this twisted stereotype. The will to fit in will fade quickly, but the scars are immortal.
-If the self harmer cuts a little too deep, they might not be able to stop the bleeding.
-Hepatitis B, and other blood-bourne diseases.
-Scars are unattractive. At best.
Additionally, it's highly addictive and hard to break. It's equivalent to ending an eating disorder. The psychological addiction level is very high, as one might suspect, but there is a physical aspect of the addiction: The hormones released after an act of self harm are tangible things which can be very difficult to be separated from. While someone is quitting self harming, there may be disturbing outward manifestations of the desire to harm, such as sadism. These symptoms will pass with time.
In short, self harm disorder is not something to be trifled with. Its association with a certain style of clothing and music is unfortunate, and self harming to try and conform with this twisted stereotype. The will to fit in will fade quickly, but the scars are immortal.
Self harm brings nothing but pain and misery.
Can you reach for the stars, with the scars on your wrists weighing you down like leaden shackles on damned souls?
Can you reach for the stars, with the scars on your wrists weighing you down like leaden shackles on damned souls?
by Phobic Delusions July 25, 2010