Lots of people misunderstand what self harm is. Some posters have the truth of it, that it varies from person to person. children sometimes do it for attention when even negative attention is welcomed. Men and Women (adults) tend to do it for very different reasons, even with otherwise fairly healthy psyches. Then there are a whole range of mental illnesses that either lend to self harmful behavior, or are in themselves self harmful.
For me, I suffered what I know now to have been a nervous breakdown after graduating high school just after the turn of the century. many things happened all at once, which left me with a fragile sense of self-identity.
Aside from the physical scars that (10 years later) have only just begun to fade, I also destroyed my relationships with many of my closest friends of the day, and with my immediate family.
You may think "what were you trying to achieve by doing that?" but that's just it, I was fighting to survive and make sense of the world with no reference point. I did the best I could figure out, which was incredibly destructive to me, but still was a way to survive and relate.
I am fortunate to have had a very loving friend who stayed with me through the crazy, and who helped me when nobody else was trying or knew how to try.
With her help, and eventually my own ability to help myself through therapy and Rx drugs and counseling, those days are largely behind me.
Before you let yourself judge somebody you see or know that has some of the obvious signs of self harm, try and be compassionate. you don't have to talk to them or make them your best friend, just try not to sneer. maybe, if you feel you can, wish them a nice day.
It seems small, but little things like that can save somebody's life.
Lots of people misunderstand what self harm is. Some posters have the truth of it, that it varies from person to person. children sometimes do it for attention when even negative attention is welcomed. Men and Women (adults) tend to do it for very different reasons, even with otherwise fairly healthy psyches. Then there are a whole range of mental illnesses that either lend to self harmful behavior, or are in themselves self harmful.
For me, I suffered what I know now to have been a nervous breakdown after graduating high school just after the turn of the century. many things happened all at once, which left me with a fragile sense of self-identity. Aside from the physical scars that (10 years later) have only just begun to fade, I also destroyed my relationships with many of my closest friends of the day, and with my immediate family. You may think "what were you trying to achieve by doing that?" but that's just it, I was fighting to survive and make sense of the world with no reference point. I did the best I could figure out, which was incredibly destructive to me, but still was a way to survive and relate. I am fortunate to have had a very loving friend who stayed with me through the crazy, and who helped me when nobody else was trying or knew how to try. With her help, and eventually my own ability to help myself through therapy and Rx drugs and counseling, those days are largely behind me.
Before you let yourself judge somebody you see or know that has some of the obvious signs of self harm, try and be compassionate. you don't have to talk to them or make them your best friend, just try not to sneer. maybe, if you feel you can, wish them a nice day. It seems small, but little things like that can save somebody's life.