Young Minds Eye Foundation

ENVISION YOUR FUTURE


Self-Harm



Estimated Reading Time: 2 min



By: Emma Shen - April 24, 2022

Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it.”
- J.K. Rowling



What is self-harm?



Self-harm is the intentional act of hurting one’s own body used as a coping mechanism for emotional distress, frustration, and anger. Generally, self-harm is not considered a suicide attempt; however, self-harm increases the risk of suicide.


Temporary feelings of calmness or euphoria may occur after self-harming, but one may also experience feelings of shame and guilt. This can cause more unwanted emotions, which can lead to a cycle of self-harm.



Why causes self harm?



Although self-harm is not a form of mental illness, it may indicate an underlying mental illness such as depression, an eating disorder, borderline personality disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. There is no exclusive reason why one may self-harm, but it can be the result of:

  • Difficulty regulating/managing feelings
  • Poor coping strategies


Self-harm may be an attempt to:

  • Provide a distraction from emotional pain by inducing physical pain
  • Punish oneself for mistakes/faults
  • Externally express emotions
  • Experience a sense of authority over one’s body, life situations, or feelings


Types of self-harm:

  • A cutting (eg./ using sharp objects like knives)
  • Burning (eg./ with lit matches or lighters)
  • Self-hitting, biting, or headbanging
  • Engraving symbols or words on the skin


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