Self Harm

i dont self harm, and i never would.

i feel sorry for people that do though. not nice at all!

Reply 2

I have in the past... but in different ways... I think when people say "self harm" people tend to instantly think of people cutting themselves (well, from my experience)... there are different forms of self harm and they are all just as bad as the other... if anyone does self harm the best advice is to talk - people wont think ur wierd, they'll just be gald you want help... people cant always tell how depressed you are, or how far things have gone... explaining everything to someone that doesnt even know you can help a lot...

Reply 3

OP

sorry, gonna sound really dense but what other kinds of self harm are there? and how did you stop?

Reply 4

Esme

sorry, gonna sound really dense but what other kinds of self harm are there? and how did you stop?

The term 'self harm' covers a range of different areas:

•

cutting or burning - the most common forms of self-harm

•

taking overdoses of tablets or medicines

•

punching themselves

•

throwing their bodies against something

•

pulling out their hair or eyelashes

•

scratching, picking or tearing at their skin causing sores and scarring

•

inhaling or sniffing harmful substances

•

swallowing things that are not edible

•

inserting objects into their bodies

[taken from selfharm.org.uk]

Reply 5

OP

Thanks x

Reply 6

god theres so many...

other physical things include: burning urself, deliberatly hitting urself, hitting/kicking walls and objects till it hurts... overdosing in a way that wont kill you, but will leave you ill for a few days... anything you can think of that will hurt you...

you can harm yourself mentally by making yourself do certain things that you normally wouldnt (this is gna sound crazy but I made myself hand in homeworks and essays deliberatly wrong or mispelt so that Id get told off - which would mess with my head)...

When you're in that position you do anything you can to make urself less of a person, different people have different reasons... but anything you can do to harm urself is self harm (sounds obvious but a lotta people dont realise it)...

I went to a counciller but this didnt really help, I hardly spoke to her... in the end it was a friend of mine who told me what a great person i was, and told me that if i ever did anything that stupid again, shed never tlk to me agen... i stopped because I realised I was hurting her as well...

Reply 7

Daveo

The term 'self harm' covers a range of different areas:

•

cutting or burning - the most common forms of self-harm

•

taking overdoses of tablets or medicines

•

punching themselves

•

throwing their bodies against something

•

pulling out their hair or eyelashes

•

scratching, picking or tearing at their skin causing sores and scarring

•

inhaling or sniffing harmful substances

•

swallowing things that are not edible

•

inserting objects into their bodies

[taken from selfharm.org.uk]

Beat me 2 it... :rolleyes:

Reply 8

SIlverWings

Beat me 2 it... :rolleyes:

Maybe but yours is still a good informative post. :smile:

Reply 9

OP

wow, i didnt realise there was so much. my friend cut herself for a while but all i could do was be there for her and be as supportive as i could be. i felt so helpless most of the time, knowing that she was hurting(on the inside and the outside) and that there wasnt much i cud do about it.

Reply 10

Esme

wow, i didnt realise there was so much. my friend cut herself for a while but all i could do was be there for her and be as supportive as i could be. i felt so helpless most of the time, knowing that she was hurting(on the inside and the outside) and that there wasnt much i cud do about it.

At least you were there for her and stuck by her. In a lot of cases people don't know how to react to someone who self harms and that can make things worse.

Reply 11

Daveo

Maybe but yours is still a good informative post. :smile:

Thanks

Esme

wow, i didnt realise there was so much. my friend cut herself for a while but all i could do was be there for her and be as supportive as i could be. i felt so helpless most of the time, knowing that she was hurting(on the inside and the outside) and that there wasnt much i cud do about it.

This is gonna sound like the wrong thing to do but, if you have a friend thats self harming, the best thing to do is to just tell them straight how wrong what they are doing is... and tell them that it makes you feel like crap to watch them do that to themselves... when i have down days I still feel like harming myself... but then i remember my friend, how much she means to me and how much she thinks of me... and it even makes those down days better just knowing that shes still there and still cares... so long as i dnt tourture myself... I dont want 2 sound like I know it all but, I've been there and I know how twisted things seem when ur that low and hate yourself that much...

Reply 12

Daveo

At least you were there for her and stuck by her. In a lot of cases people don't know how to react to someone who self harms and that can make things worse.

Yeah... one of the worst things to do to a self harmer is get scared and run away or ignore it... it'll just make them feel worse about you, and themselves... wow Im all deep today, dnt know whats gotten into me :rolleyes:

Reply 13

OP

SIlverWings

This is gonna sound like the wrong thing to do but, if you have a friend thats self harming, the best thing to do is to just tell them straight how wrong what they are doing is... and tell them that it makes you feel like crap to watch them do that to themselves... when i have down days I still feel like harming myself... but then i remember my friend, how much she means to me and how much she thinks of me... and it even makes those down days better just knowing that shes still there and still cares... so long as i dnt tourture myself... I dont want 2 sound like I know it all but, I've been there and I know how twisted things seem when ur that low and hate yourself that much...

Thanks for the advice, i'll try to use it. im not sure if she is self harming anymore, but as you say, everyone has down days.

Reply 14

SIlverWings

This is gonna sound like the wrong thing to do but, if you have a friend thats self harming, the best thing to do is to just tell them straight how wrong what they are doing is... and tell them that it makes you feel like crap to watch them do that to themselves... when i have down days I still feel like harming myself... but then i remember my friend, how much she means to me and how much she thinks of me... and it even makes those down days better just knowing that shes still there and still cares... so long as i dnt tourture myself... I dont want 2 sound like I know it all but, I've been there and I know how twisted things seem when ur that low and hate yourself that much...

Thats an entirely different approach to what I would say but I suppose it could be a good way to try and help someone as it obviously helped you, you just have to be careful not to push the person who is self harming too much or they might think that you don't like them as a person anymore which could make the problem worse.

Reply 15

OP

it is such a sensitive topic.

Reply 16

Daveo

Thats an entirely different approach to what I would say but I suppose it could be a good way to try and help someone as it obviously helped you, you just have to be careful not to push the person who is self harming too much or they might think that you don't like them as a person anymore which could make the problem worse.

Yeah, different things help different people I guess... :rolleyes:

All i needed was a reality check... i still have down days and up days but i dont self harm anymore - because I know I wont always feel bad...

Others need different help - for example, councilling didnt help me one bit, but for others, its a serious light at the end of the tunnel...

Reply 17

luce20

I used to self harm and pull out my hair due to it being the only way I thought I could feel better! I remember at the time my friends being quite shocked and not knowing what to do, as they didn't think things had gotten so bad! I've also known friends who have done it as well and its a vicious circle. I haven't told any members of my family to this day, although have been tempted to tell them when Ive had some serious arguments with them. I can't offer much advice as my depression was something that I pulled myself out of.
I have gradually realised that life can be good and is worth living for and if anybody on here feels so low/harms themselves, I urge you to speak to someone, anybody! I wish I could have spoken about it to my friends/someone ( not my family - i'm not very close to some members!) but my friends didn't know how to respond which I could understand! Everybody will find someone they can talk to, whether it be a councellor (sp?), friends, even on this forum or others forum. Now I'm in a happier place, well 98 % of the time, i get on with things, enjoy my college work even and think positively. I know its hard when you're feeling down, but tell yourself to think of something good, a goal to aspire to even and banish bad thoughts. It does work after time, believe me! Any questions feel free to ask.

Reply 18