TRIGGER WARNING: PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ARTICLE MAY BE TRIGGERING TO ANYONE WHO HAS DEALT WITH DEPRESSION AND/OR SELF HARM OR ANYTHING RELATED. IF YOU FEEL THAT MENTION OF SELF HARM WILL TRIGGER YOU TO HURT YOURSELF, PLEASE TRY NOT TO READ FURTHER. 

Self harm awareness:

As you may know from CANDICE's comic about self harm, this month is self harm awareness month. I believe that awareness is more than just saying "Oh look it's self harm week - cutting is bad". I believe that awareness is about education - educating the public about what self harm is really about. Self harm is more than a trend and more than a teenager dragging a blade across her wrist.

What is self harm?

Most people think of self harm as cutting but self harm is any deliberate act that causes harm to oneself. This involves but is not limited to; cutting, burning, biting, pulling, piercing, bruising and scratching. Self harm varies in damage. Some self harm is very mild; light scratches that don't bleed and cuts where drops of blood form on the skin while some self harm is severe; deep gashes that need stitches and in a highly severe case, self amputation of body parts. No matter how mild or complex, all of those actions are still considered self injury and need attention.

Like binge eating, smoking and drug/alcohol problems, self harm is an addiction. Self harm becomes an addiction because often people feel pleasure when they hurt themselves and so the pleasure becomes associated with the pain and often people become addicted to self harm due to the rush of joy they feel when cutting. 

Why do people self harm?

It is hard to make generalizations because self harm is a subjective experience and people experience it in different ways. Some common reasons for self harm are as listed. 

• Self harm can be used to cope with unwanted emotions: to escape feeling depressed, lonely or whatever else, many people seek comfort in cutting. This is helpful (but not ideal) as it distracts them from their emotions and they find that cutting provides a release and an escape.
• Self harm can make one feel powerful: often people feel that theirs life is out of control and one way people deal with this is by controlling an aspect of their body such as diet control or self harm..In this case, self harm becomes the one aspect of their life in which they are in charge of. Ultimately  this coping method is unsuccessful as a self harm addiction soon controls the individuals life.
• Self harm can be a punishment: sadly, many people do not like their own being. They loathe who they are and they take it out on themselves with physical torture. 

Self harm and mental illness:

Self harm is a symptom of many mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders and many others. Despite popular belief, you do not have to be mentally ill to self harm and vise versa, not all people with mental illnesses self harm.

Why self harm is an ineffective way to deal with emotions (and why you should avoid cutting)

• The risk of infection is high. Worse, you can cut too deep and loose a lot of blood. 
• Scars never fade.
• It stops you addressing your issues. Instead of dealing with the emotion, you avoid it and hurt yourself.
• It becomes tolerable and more escalating injury is needed until you get to a point where you are a huge danger to yourself
• It is disturbing for the people around you and you not only hurt yourself, but them as well.
• It only gets worse. (But, there is help out there)

What should I do if a friend is self harming?

• Talk about it with him/her. The problem needs to be addressed. Ignoring it will only make things worse. It can be scary confronting someone about an issue like this but tread lightly and be mindful of their feelings.
• Be there for your friend. Just talk to them, let them know you are there for them. Tell them that you are available if you they need a shoulder to cry on.
• Let an adult know. This should be done carefully and with your friends knowledge. You don't want to randomly spring trouble upon your friend by shocking them with the news that someone else knows but it is important that an adult becomes involved, for the safety and wellbeing of your friend.
• Do not tell her to stop cutting - as said before cutting is addictive meaning that it is hard to stop. Forcing promises on your friend will make it harder and cause tension.
• You are not her psychologist. It is not up to you to stop her from hurting herself as this is a major hurdle that needs to be dealt with professionally. Don't feel helpless because you can't cure it. Instead, be helpful and support your mate all the way through.

What to do if you want to hurt yourself?

There are many alternatives to self harm (I actually have a printed list, over 200+) but here are a few options;

• Pull a rubber band across your wrist.
• Draw on your body.
• Vent online or on the phone to a friend
• Scream and cry and punch a pillow
• Pet an animal
• Write about it and then burn it.
• Go for a walk or a run
• Go shopping
• Braid your hair
• Play video or computer games

Please note that although the above suggestions are helpful, a self harm problem is best treated professionally through a psychologist or a psychiatrist  Self harm is an addiction that CAN BE BEATEN. I was 14 years old when I started to self harm. It just got worse and worse and I got help and after a lot of therapy, I can say that at 19 years (It's my birthday today, hehe) I'm no longer addicted to cutting. Everyone recovers differently though, keep that in mind when seeking help.

Movie: Painful Secrets (Secret Cutting)

This is one of my all time favorite movies. It can be triggering and graphic at times, so be cautious but I have placed it here if you were interesting in getting a better understanding of self harm.

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