How to recognize self harm

[sonic12576]

A while ago, I posted a take on the different types of sexual orientations and you guys seemed to love it (Seriously, twenty five opinions, that's the most i've ever gotten) so I wrote another one on the different types of self harm and how to recognize self harm in an individual.

Self-harm, also known as self-injury, is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue, done without suicidal intentions. Often people self harm when they're depressed (most people do, anyway) but there are certain paraphiliacs out there called masochists who cut themselves just because they enjoy the feeling.

When people talk about self harm, they're usually referring to cutting. However, even though cutting is the most popular form of self harm (yes i say popular, what else am I supposed to say?), there are many other types of self harm out there. Cutting is just the one done the most.

Self-injury can occur in either sex and in any race of people. The behavior is not limited by education, age, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or religion. However, there are some common factors among people who engage in self-injury. Self-injury occurs more often among:

Adolescent females
People who have a history of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
People who have co-existing problems of substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or eating disorders
Individuals who were often raised in families that discouraged expression of anger
Individuals who lack skills to express their emotions and lack a good social support network

Self-injury usually occurs when people face what seem like overwhelming or distressing feelings. Self harmers may feel that self harm is a way of:

Temporarily relieving intense feelings, pressure, or anxiety
Being real, being alive, or feeling something
Being able to feel pain on the outside instead of the inside
Controlling and managing pain -- unlike the pain experienced through physical or sexual abuse
Providing a way to break emotional numbness (the self-anesthesia that allows someone to cut without feeling pain)
Asking for help in an indirect way or drawing attention to the need for help
Attempting to affect others by manipulating them, trying to make them care, trying to make them feel guilty, or trying to make them go away.

There's many different types of self harm, but here are the ones that are listed on WebMD.

Cutting
Burning (or "branding" with hot objects)
Picking at skin or re-opening wounds
Hair-pulling (trichotillomania)
Head-banging
Hitting (with hammer or other object)
Bone-breaking

I will explain each of them in the order as they come on the list. I will also include images, and some of them ARE NSFW, so be warned. I will be as detailed as possible but considering i only have 20,000 characters, we'll see.

Scratching and cutting

I'm including scratching on this list purely because scratching and cutting are similar. Scratching is basically self harm "for beginners," if that makes sense. Scratching doesn't break the skin, and half the time, it doesn't even bleed. It just causes a red mark that exists from anywhere from a day to a few days. Usually, people who scratch feel like they want to cut, but they're afraid to because they're afraid it's physically painful. I will admit, back when i used to self harm (I haven't done so since I was fifteen, so thank god for that) I scratched because I was chicken. An example of a scratch is below. By the way, i couldn't find any good images, so i included my own. Judge me as you wish. I don't know why i still have the image saved.

By the way. reminding you again, yes this is actually me.

Cutting is a little more serious than scratching. Cutting actually DOES break the skin and can cause moderate to severe bleeding depending on how deep you cut yourself. The reason people cut themselves the most out of all forms of self harm is because cutting apparently (i've never cut myself0 releases endorphins that make you feel better, but i wouldn't know, so don't take my word for it. According to Meg from family guy (this is one of my all time favorite quotes by the way) if you were to cut yourself...

...not that I condone cutting yourself. Of course, that's the simpler way of putting it. Look at this diagram below.

As you can see, there's two ways of cutting yourself. If you slit your wrist sideways across your arm, you remain alive and you'll have to go to the hospital due to blood loss. However, if you cut yourself lengthwise along the vein, you'll most likely die because you cut the vein open. That's why when you see people cut themselves the most often, they do it sideways.

Cutting for attention

This is just a brief mention of that stupid Cut for Zayn movement. When Zayn Malik left 1 Direction fans thought they could guilt him into coming back to the band by cutting themselves. Zayn didn't listen to them, and he became a solo artist. Fans went nuts. I'm just not sure what you have to gain for cutting for attention.

One girl posted on twitter "if Zayn doesn't come back to One Direction I might die!" and included this picture as an attachment. NSFW, by the way

And if that's not bad enough, cutting has become so glorified that there are even animated GIFs of them. By the way, this are the only gif im including because this is the only one I can stomach.

Other types of self harm

Some people actually think that cutting isn't enough, and they want to burn themselves deliberately. So they do. Note that this is an eraser burn but some people actually do burn themselves with fire.

Some people even brand themselves.

Some people even pick at and reopen wounds

But there are steps you can take!

Ways to recognize a self harmer

Notice their behavior. Are they more secluded than usual? Depressed? Stay to themselves most of the time? That could be a sign of self harm.

Are they wearing long sleeved shirts to cover up their arms? That could be a sign of self harm.

First and foremost, take away any electronic devices that they may have and review them. Look through them for any evidence that they're being influenced by some other force. That's how i got found out. I used to be impressionable, and so according to my parents, since all my friends did it, that's the only reason I did it. If they talk about self harm way too often on their electronic devices, do not give it back to them. Keep it, and gauge their reaction. If they continue to self harm, or they start to self harm because they think you're strict, do not give the device back to them. Consider taking them to therapy.

Talk to them. Let them come to you. If you come to them, then they think that you're nagging. Remember, your ultimate goal is to get them to stop self harming

Well, that was my take. I hope you enjoyed it more than the last one! It took me nearly an hour to write. Now if you excuse me, at the time of writing this it's three thirty in the morning, i'm off to bed.