Understand Self Injury- Awareness Video
This is a video on self-harm I made to help those who don't understand. Please check it out and ask any questions if you have any. If there is hate comments, rude or disrespectful I will delete and block you. Below I have posted a lil more details about those who self-harm. Please take a moment to read it. http://www.recoveryourlife.com/ http://www.meetup.com/ http://www.psyke.org
====================== Song: Breathe-Sia ======================
SI is something I go through personally everyday of my life. I think about it all the time. Even tho the thoughts are there, most likely I'll be able to control myself & not hurt my body. Sometimes I slip & hurt myself but it shows how hard I work towards being heathly & safe. DBT is a good source to help the urges & to find safe ways to cope with the feeling.
Self-injury or self-harm is when somebody damages or injures their body on purpose. Self-injury is a way of expressing deep emotional feelings or problems that build up inside.
Cutting the skin is probably the most common form of self-injury. The cuts are not usually deep but in some cases, medical attention is needed to clean, dress or stitch the wounds. The most common places on the body to cut are the wrists, upper arms, inner thighs and upper chest. Less common are the face, breasts, abdomen and genitals.
Often people who cut themselves will use one or two methods, for example, knives, glass or razor blades. The person tends to have a certain area of the body that they prefer to cut, such as the arms.
Burning the skin (usually with cigarettes) is also common. People may also self-harm by scratching, hitting or punching, sometimes using an object. Other forms of self-injury include picking at the skin, pulling out hair, swallowing poisonous substances, taking an overdose of tablets or drugs or deliberately breaking bones.
Although, there is a connection between self-harm and suicide, the majority do not risk their lives. For many people who self-injure, their actions are only an attempt to cope with the stress and difficulties they face; their purpose is not to end their life.
However, there is a possibility that those who self-injure may commit suicide either deliberately or accidentally as the result of their actions.
Self-harm is much more common among girls than boys, often starting in adolescence (between 13 and 18 years of age), although it can affect children from as young as 11 years. Fear of discovery, shame and embarrassment often means that people keep self-injury a secret. Because of this, it is difficult to know how many people self-harm.Some people self-harm only once or a few times while others do it on a regular basis, sometimes throughout their life.
People who self-injure are very careful to hide the damage and scars. They will often injure themselves in places that can be easily hidden by clothing so friends and family members may be unaware of the person self-injuring in private. Another sign that someone could be self-harming is that the person will insist on keeping covered up at all times, even in hot weather.
People self-injure for a variety of reasons and sometimes, the person doesnt actually know why they are doing it. However, it is commonly thought to provide a release for pent-up emotions and feelings. For some people it is their way of coping with a specific problem. Self-injury is a sign of emotional distress and is not an attempt to seek attention.
People who self-harm often describe feelings of numbness or deadness or they may feel detached from reality, as if they are not part of the world. Some may injure themselves to stay separated from reality but others do it to make them feel more real, connected and alive.People who self-harm often describe feelings of numbness or deadness or they may feel detached from reality, as if they are not part of the world. Some may injure themselves to stay separated from reality but others do it to make them feel more real, connected and alive.
People who self-injure risk infections if their wounds are not treated properly. Cuts can become infected if a person uses non-sterile or dirty cutting instruments.
Source:Healing From Addictions
I am currently sixteen, nearly seventeen. Up until somewhat recently, I'd been self-harming in various different ways since I was seven years old. It started out as bruising, slamming my arms in drawers, punching myself, etc. ("banging" as it's most commonly referred to. or, more specifically, "wrist-banging." That began due to loss of family members, and bulling in school. I remember thinking that "there must be something wrong with me, nobody wants to be around me." I was trying to fix myself through beating myself up. That went on for awhile.
When I was eleven, I began cutting, as my depression worsened and there were many more deaths and painful events happening in my life as well. Then, two weeks after my thirteenth birthday - my older sister died. I blamed myself for a very long time.
Later on, the same year (I was thirteen) I began burning myself. with lighters, cigarettes, whatever I could get a hold of. (salt and ice was always a favorite of mine as well)
Things just escalated from there. I attempted suicide 8 times before being hospitalized. then 9 times before I was finally sent to a long term psychiatric hospital for six months. That was May of '07 through November of '07.
The time at that hospital (Havenwyck RTC) was a HUGE turning point in my life. I've made an amazing recovery, and while I'm still dealing with severe anxiety, my depression is under control, as are my other issues that aren't entirely related to this specific topic.
If you or anybody, want any details or information on stopping self-harm, getting help, or just.. needing any advice. Anyone can email me at tranquilium@live.com
Or you can go to my website and leave me a message - I'll get back to you. :)
~ You're truely,
Tranquilium