Self Harm

[JakeyBoy]

Do you do it?
Did you ever try or thought about it?
Do you know people who do it?

What's your opinion about it and is it right or wrong?
Do you have to take someone serious when they do, do you need to feel sorry, or is the person actually looking for attention?

Maybe there is a real serious problem...

[Z]

Do you do it? - No.
Did you ever try or thought about it? - Nope.
Do you know people who do it? - Yes.

What's your opinion about it and is it right or wrong? - If you're doing it not to kill yourself but to do it for the sake of doing it then I'd say it's pretty wrong.
Do you have to take someone serious when they do, do you need to feel sorry, or is the person actually looking for attention? - I think it's a combination really, you have to know they mean business if they've plucked up the courage to cut themselves open, but you can't help but feel sorry for them that their life's so bad to them that they feel they have to do it, and yes, it's a cry for help.

[JakeyBoy]

I know a few people that have done it and it's pretty scary when you know that they are doing it and you can only do so much to help it. Like, you don't know if they are dead sometimes and every minute of every day that you don't hear from them you get this weird feeling in the pit of your stomach... it's bad

[InTheHood]

Originally posted by JakeyBoy
Do you do it?
Did you ever try or thought about it?
Do you know people who do it?

What's your opinion about it and is it right or wrong?
Do you have to take someone serious when they do, do you need to feel sorry, or is the person actually looking for attention?

Maybe there is a real serious problem...

Work with people who do as part of my job.

You have to take it serious, because it is a serious problem, whatever there reasons for doing it.

All you can do is be supportive, find out why they do it, and go through it with them.

Must never tell them off for doing it, but always try and talk them out of doing it.

[Siouxsie]

no never thought about it

[Sunny_01]

I dont think it is anyones place to judge people who self harm. I have worked with young people who have self harmed for a number of years and find that the very best you can do for them is offer support for them to talk through their feelings as well as information about harming safely if necessary! by that I mean first aid and what things they should keep close to hand in case they need to dress any wounds.

I dont ever try to talk someone out of self harming but I do offer them alternative distraction techniques that they can use as a way to reduce their harm over a period of time. Stopping is their decision.

[JakeyBoy]

I may have thought about it a few times... maybe even.. like, you know. But like, I'm not dead so it's all good:hugesmile:

[sol]

One of my friends at my old school used to do it with a compass :bored: I think it was just for attention though.

[JakeyBoy]

If people do it in public or something, attention is what they want

[Psylocke]

I knew a girl who did it,but she was the BIGGEST attention seeker ever,loads of my mates had big problems in there lives at the time and she was like.ooohh look at me i cut myself.....

[SiMoN!]

Do you do it? no
Did you ever try or thought about it? no
Do you know people who do it? no

so i no nufing about it

[easypeasy]

i did it a few times when i was younger. its not always a cry for help it can just be a very low self-esteem thing.

[~Kizwiz~]

Its not always about attention seeking

[Ella]

This Topic is a bit personal, imsure no one wants to discuss reasons for why they self harm with complete strangers :sad:

But if you do then fair do's

[easypeasy]

yeah it is a bit personel, but its better to discuss it than sweeping things under the carpet.

[JakeyBoy]

This might sound super freaky but my friend's scars have magic powers...

[Lauren]

Originally posted by JakeyBoy
This might sound super freaky but my friend's scars have magic powers...

You're right... it did sound super freaky :tongue:

And whoever says self harming is all about attention need to open their minds up a bit more

[Sunny_01]

Originally posted by Blanket&Crib
Originally posted by JakeyBoy
This might sound super freaky but my friend's scars have magic powers...

You're right... it did sound super freaky :tongue:

And whoever says self harming is all about attention need to open their minds up a bit more

Couldnt agree more with you. Very few people would actually choose to physically hurt themselves as a way of getting attention when there are much easier ways to draw attention to yourself.

[lily.]

I have a friend who used to do it, and he still bears a LOT of scars.

It's not for attention. It's like every other mental health issue though.. it has stigma attached to it. Unfortunately a lot of people don't want to take the time to understand why people do it.

There's a series of ads being shown up here.. (not sure if they are in the whole UK). They are the "See Me" ones.. Ziola will have seen them I'm sure, and they are aimed at removing the stigma attached to self-harming and similar mental health issues.

However, in saying that, a lot of people who self-harm are teenagers, and it's easy for me to be all understanding and compassionate, but when you are young and your classmate is doing it, it's easy to pass judgement because you aren't old enough to really know what else to do. Did that sound patronising? If it did, I'm sorry.. I'm just thinking of how I used to be when I was younger... I was reasonably happy as a child and didn't really know how to handle serious issues til I got a lot older. However, I'm sure there are young people who are a lot more mature than I was.. I'm the first to admit it took me a while to mature. (I might even still be doing it!)..

Seriously though.. if someone is self-harming, there is help out there for them, and I would hope they would have the courage to get it so that they can get on with their lives and get over their issues.

[Lauren]

Originally posted by Stropz
There's a series of ads being shown up here.. (not sure if they are in the whole UK). They are the "See Me" ones.. Ziola will have seen them I'm sure, and they are aimed at removing the stigma attached to self-harming and similar mental health issues.


Yeah they're shown in the rest of the UK :)

Great post Stropz. :thumbs:

[lily.]

Thanx girl... I was hoping I didn't come across all superior when I mentioned the maturity issue.. :rolleyes:

[Lauren]

Nah it's true. Although a lot of young people do SI, the stigma attached to it is stronger at a younger age because teenagers find it hard to accept something like that, and don't care to explore the issues surrounding it.

[lily.]

Yeah, that's more or less what I was saying. I remember some serious stuff happening to people at my school and to be honest, I mostly remember not knowing what to do or how to handle it... and, I think with this it's the same... If you don't know what to do, then you wont do the right thing..

[Corkie]

alot of people do in my school there known as emos!

one peep did in my year and everyone said she was attention seeking but i dont think she is one of my friend just tells her to stop cos when it starts it hard to stop

i havent done it though

[lily.]

Originally posted by corkie
alot of people do in my school there known as emos!

one peep did in my year and everyone said she was attention seeking but i dont think she is one of my friend just tells her to stop cos when it starts it hard to stop

i havent done it though

I'm glad you haven't done it, but it's not so easy for that other person to just stop.. the problem is that you can't just treat the symptom, you have to treat the cause also.. whatever is underlying and making her do it has to be addressed before she can stop.

I'm also glad you know that she isn't attention seeking.. it makes a difference when people around her realise that it's not all about attention.

[Corkie]

Originally posted by Stropz
Originally posted by corkie
alot of people do in my school there known as emos!

one peep did in my year and everyone said she was attention seeking but i dont think she is one of my friend just tells her to stop cos when it starts it hard to stop

i havent done it though

I'm glad you haven't done it, but it's not so easy for that other person to just stop.. the problem is that you can't just treat the symptom, you have to treat the cause also.. whatever is underlying and making her do it has to be addressed before she can stop.

I'm also glad you know that she isn't attention seeking.. it makes a difference when people around her realise that it's not all about attention.

i dont really know her though but she seems a cool person its really bad cos her mum is a teacher in the school and its stupid cos some of her students try to hint she slef harms!

[Lauren]

Corkie thats very sad :(

Sometimes self harming is treat as something that people 'choose' to do, but it's just like any disorder. It has a cause and symptoms. Sometimes self-harming can get to the point where someone even need to go to CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy) - so it's not something to be treat lightly. It's just sad to see a stigma attached to something that can affect lives.

[lily.]

The saddest part about it is the scars it leaves...

Even when people get over it and stop doing it, they are constantly reminded of the time in their lives when things were bad. It's the same with suicide scars..the person is left with a line on their wrist as a reminder of something they would probably rather forget.. :sad:

There's probably not a lot you can do about this girl corkie, if you aren't really close to her and don't really know her. Her friends might be able to get her the help she needs though.

[J.C.]

It probably isn`t a right or wrong type of thing. It cant be a good thing tho.
it has to be linked to low esteem in that one would only want to harm that which you dont like.Oneself in this case.I would like to think it was a case of
not knowing the big difference between having a positive mental attitude as opposed to a negatve attitude.I reckon i learnt that at about 20 and it changes ones outlook so much. Still ,its not that simple is it?

[lily.]

I always figured it was a control issue. In much the same way as anorexia.

It's not so much about the actual cutting, but more about the fact that this is the one thing in the person's life that they have full control over...

[Lauren]

Originally posted by Stropz
I always figured it was a control issue. In much the same way as anorexia.

It's not so much about the actual cutting, but more about the fact that this is the one thing in the person's life that they have full control over...

Quite true. There's many reasons being SI. One of them being a control issue, they have control over one thing; and this is cutting/burning/many other things.
There's also the punishment factor. Many people do it as a way to teach themselves right from wrong. It can be linked with anorexia in the way that "if I eat more than.... then I will SI" and so many people get reinforced that it is a good thing by seeing the results of "better" behaviour

[lily.]

Yeah, i never knew about the link to anorexia before.. I was making the comparison because a lot of people still think anorexia is about food/eating/being thin... when it's not at all about that..

I think there should be more education about these issues, especially the ones which affect mainly teens.. that might help prevent things getting out of hand.

[Lauren]

Originally posted by Stropz
I think there should be more education about these issues, especially the ones which affect mainly teens.. that might help prevent things getting out of hand.

Yeah definitely. I've never once been taught about these issues, and I'm nearly finished college. They teach us about drugs, smoking, teenager pregnancy - but never things such as mental health issues.

[lily.]

I am 32, and we got taught how babies are made ... and that was about it...

Our drugs education consisted of "just say no" sung by the cast of Grange Hill!!! :laugh:

[Lauren]

Originally posted by Stropz
I am 32, and we got taught how babies are made ... and that was about it...

Our drugs education consisted of "just say no" sung by the cast of Grange Hill!!! :laugh:

Lmao! We were given "shock tactics" of showing us dead bodies with needles sticking out of them. I was about 13 years old. It traumatised me :laugh:

[lily.]

Christ.. I can imagine... I had a death obsession about that age... I was afraid I was going to die, and people around me were going to die... it was all a bit bizarre, but apparently it's quite normal.

[J.C.]

Originally posted by Blanket&Crib
Originally posted by Stropz
I think there should be more education about these issues, especially the ones which affect mainly teens.. that might help prevent things getting out of hand.

Yeah definitely. I've never once been taught about these issues, and I'm nearly finished college. They teach us about drugs, smoking, teenager pregnancy - but never things such as mental health issues.

You have probably hit the nail on the head there.I believe we all have mental issues of one sort of another(there are so many) and to different extremes. we only try to deal with them once they are identified. Education could provide far more awareness to help people avoid these rocky roads.

[JakeyBoy]

Originally posted by Blanket&Crib
Originally posted by JakeyBoy
This might sound super freaky but my friend's scars have magic powers...

You're right... it did sound super freaky :tongue:

And whoever says self harming is all about attention need to open their minds up a bit more

lol I'll elaborate...

Every time something really bad is about to happen her scars start to burn! Like, her dad died recently and that whole day her scars were burning like hell. Also, her aunty got killed in a car crash last year and that same day her scars were burning... I call her Harry Potter now... but, it's kinda freaky

[Corkie]

Originally posted by JakeyBoy
Originally posted by Blanket&Crib
Originally posted by JakeyBoy
This might sound super freaky but my friend's scars have magic powers...

You're right... it did sound super freaky :tongue:

And whoever says self harming is all about attention need to open their minds up a bit more

lol I'll elaborate...

Every time something really bad is about to happen her scars start to burn! Like, her dad died recently and that whole day her scars were burning like hell. Also, her aunty got killed in a car crash last year and that same day her scars were burning... I call her Harry Potter now... but, it's kinda freaky

like her scars start to hurt?

[JakeyBoy]

Yup!

[lily.]

That is bizarre indeed... :rolleyes:

[Z]

Originally posted by Stropz
I have a friend who used to do it, and he still bears a LOT of scars.

It's not for attention. It's like every other mental health issue though.. it has stigma attached to it. Unfortunately a lot of people don't want to take the time to understand why people do it.

There's a series of ads being shown up here.. (not sure if they are in the whole UK). They are the "See Me" ones.. Ziola will have seen them I'm sure, and they are aimed at removing the stigma attached to self-harming and similar mental health issues.

However, in saying that, a lot of people who self-harm are teenagers, and it's easy for me to be all understanding and compassionate, but when you are young and your classmate is doing it, it's easy to pass judgement because you aren't old enough to really know what else to do. Did that sound patronising? If it did, I'm sorry.. I'm just thinking of how I used to be when I was younger... I was reasonably happy as a child and didn't really know how to handle serious issues til I got a lot older. However, I'm sure there are young people who are a lot more mature than I was.. I'm the first to admit it took me a while to mature. (I might even still be doing it!)..

Seriously though.. if someone is self-harming, there is help out there for them, and I would hope they would have the courage to get it so that they can get on with their lives and get over their issues.


Yes I have seen them. In fact, a boy who lives near me went to film one, I think they're screening it in their next batch. (His parents both died of drug overdoses and it's really badly affected him and despite the fact he was completely against drugs he's now on them himself).

[J.C.]

Self harm was an issue discussed on sky news today on live at five; Some of the points made;
1.far more widespread these days,1in 11 girls !! and 1 in 30 boys
2.most situations involve a form of cutting
3.The ex self harmist said that it was linked to her low esteem at university
but was probably caused from bullying at an earlier school.
4.she also noted that one of the hardest parts was being told or advised not to.Once her friends accepted her for who she was she was then able
to get the help needed from a phsycologist, and that this has worked.
5.There are no stereotypes that can be pinpointed as vulnerable and so all youngsters need education in this area.


All seemed to make sense really.. I think that there may not be a stereotype but it was no suprise that she said she had been bullied. I`m sure those that are bullied must be more likely to self harm.??

[JakeyBoy]

Originally posted by J.C.
Self harm was an issue discussed on sky news today on live at five; Some of the points made;
1.far more widespread these days,1in 11 girls !! and 1 in 30 boys
2.most situations involve a form of cutting
3.The ex self harmist said that it was linked to her low esteem at university
but was probably caused from bullying at an earlier school.
4.she also noted that one of the hardest parts was being told or advised not to.Once her friends accepted her for who she was she was then able
to get the help needed from a phsycologist, and that this has worked.
5.There are no stereotypes that can be pinpointed as vulnerable and so all youngsters need education in this area.


All seemed to make sense really.. I think that there may not be a stereotype but it was no suprise that she said she had been bullied. I`m sure those that are bullied must be more likely to self harm.??

Yeah.. pretty much the reason why people *cough* I *cough* had done it was bullying or whatever

[Lauren]

Originally posted by JakeyBoy
Originally posted by J.C.
Self harm was an issue discussed on sky news today on live at five; Some of the points made;
1.far more widespread these days,1in 11 girls !! and 1 in 30 boys
2.most situations involve a form of cutting
3.The ex self harmist said that it was linked to her low esteem at university
but was probably caused from bullying at an earlier school.
4.she also noted that one of the hardest parts was being told or advised not to.Once her friends accepted her for who she was she was then able
to get the help needed from a phsycologist, and that this has worked.
5.There are no stereotypes that can be pinpointed as vulnerable and so all youngsters need education in this area.


All seemed to make sense really.. I think that there may not be a stereotype but it was no suprise that she said she had been bullied. I`m sure those that are bullied must be more likely to self harm.??

Yeah.. pretty much the reason why people *cough* I *cough* had done it was bullying or whatever

Good point. Although I don't think bullying is directly linked to self-harming. Low self-esteem is a result of bullying which can then further onto self-harm, so it's kind of a by-product.

[Sophii3x]

i cut wrist about 2 weeks ago
because i felt so depressed and down
but i really regret doing it now beacuse
it's left loads of scars:sad:

[EugeneSully]

when i was about 11 i burned my hand with my stragihteners. It was agony and tbh, It did no good to me I regret it to this very day cos it jsut looks stupid!!!!! Now I have two thick lines on my hand.




Self harm is not just cutting your wrists... it can be punching a wall, punching ones self, pulling hair out etc....


the list is endless. I don't think it's possible to discourage someone from doing it, but yyou can talk them through the consequences.

1/15 people do it nowadays. Its no surprise at all thanks to what society has become today.