Do you Self Harm?

[Solarflare]

After reading the thread in 'Ask/Tell me About...', I wanted to know statistically how many people on DV self harm. Anyways you don't have to post, you can just vote in the poll without posting. To get the ball rolling, no, I have not.

[Seroquel]

Yeah. I'm running out of the good real estate, though.

[melanieb]

Does mental self-abuse count?

[Solarflare]

such as?

[SpaceCowboyDave]

Never.

[Supernova]

Does mental self-abuse count? Like most people, I mentally abuse myself against myself's will.

[Puffin]

When I was 8-9, I used to dig my nails into my hands; it would make deep marks but I never actually made my hands bleed or anything. It was just to release tension. I'm not sure if that counts or not, but whatever. I haven't done it since then.

[SpaceCowboyDave]

I think people use self harm to stop panic.

[Solarflare]

I think people use self harm to stop panic. silly goose

[Zhaylin]

heh- I need to remember to "stop panic" But actually, the biggest thing that keeps me from doing it is to picture myself as some 80 year old women, still hiding in a corner and cutting. That would be pretty ridiculous. It works most of the time, but I still have my moments when, yeah, I self-injure. I'm not nearly as bad as I was in my teens and 20's though. It seems the older I get, the less I care about "right and wrong" and self-loathing. I've been mellowing out and feeling more content. Hopefully, the trend will continue!

[Burke]

Mentally? Hell yeah, I completely harm myself in the sense that I am harder on myself than anybody could ever be. This also leads to me having a very strong psychological state, though, and very few people can actually get to me/make me angry/upset/emotional. However, physically I do not purposely harm myself. I guess I'll put "yes"

[melanieb]

Back when I was 13 I was rather emotional and I hurt myself a couple times. Not real bad, and never visibly. It was a rough time. I couldn't even imagine doing that now. Pain sucks. I used to have a friend who would cut herself, usually on the inside of her thigh. Of course I didn't find out about this until she and her boyfriend broke up. He was also a friend, and I found out she said and did a lot of things that scared him. I kept talking to her for a while but she started saying a lot of things that scared me also. Scared isn't quite the right word. More like...turned me off to her friendship. She complained a lot about problems she created herself, she acted freaked out about ghosts, and I seem to recall she had family issues. My guess was that she needed a reset button, and perhaps someone better equipped to give her attention, and high doses of lithium.

[Seroquel]

Mentally? Hell yeah, I completely harm myself in the sense that I am harder on myself than anybody could ever be. This also leads to me having a very strong psychological state, though, and very few people can actually get to me/make me angry/upset/emotional. However, physically I do not purposely harm myself. I guess I'll put "yes" Wat.

[HeavySleeper]

I've never understood self-harm.

[melanieb]

I've never understood self-harm. Boys rarely do.

[HeavySleeper]

[Puffin]

She complained a lot about problems she created herself, she acted freaked out about ghosts, and I seem to recall she had family issues. My guess was that she needed a reset button, and perhaps someone better equipped to give her attention, and high doses of lithium. I "self-harmed" when I was younger because of family issues, too. I always felt second-best compared to my sister and had lots of jealousy towards her. She also didn't treat me very well, saying things like "I wish you were dead" and shit; my parents never heard these things because, like many girls, she was under the radar with her insults. So they would get mad at me for instigating.

[Burke]

Wat.

[melanieb]

I am lucky to be an only-child. I doubt I would have survived those type of insults and threats. I'm pretty self-confident now but when I was younger I was terribly sensitive. It probably stems from hiding my true self for so many years. With so many people in this world ready to inflict harm on others it seems unnecessary to inflict self-harm.

[Seroquel]

I remember my first meme. Self-harm (SH) or deliberate self-harm (DSH) includes self-injury (SI) and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue most often done without suicidal intentions. The most common form of self-harm is skin-cutting but self-harm also covers a wide range of behaviors including, but not limited to, burning, scratching, banging or hitting body parts, interfering with wound healing, hair-pulling (trichotillomania) and the ingestion of toxic substances or objects. Self-harm - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[DeletePlease]

Oh lawdy, she's fucking adorable. ----- Why do people cut in a different spot every time? Wouldn't it be easier to hide if you just kept cutting the same spot? (I have a feeling that's a stupid question... )

[Arra]

Why do people cut in a different spot every time? Wouldn't it be easier to hide if you just kept cutting the same spot? (I have a feeling that's a stupid question... ) You mean in the exactly same spot? Over the cut from before? That just seems a little awkward, to cut over a cut while it's healing. For some reason I'd have a problem with that, since my body is trying to heal, I wouldn't want to interfere with it. Also, the cut's already there, so whatever is gotten out of cutting is probably lessened if you aren't really making a new cut.

[Seroquel]

Why do people cut in a different spot every time? Wouldn't it be easier to hide if you just kept cutting the same spot? They.. er̶ don't?

[Zhaylin]

For me, scar tissue doesn't seem to cut as easily and it makes the existing scar a whole lot worse. But I do prefer certain areas: My upper arms and my outer thighs. Well, actually, my entire legs are fair game because I always wear long skirts or jeans. I used to prefer it in the past, but now I just don't care. No one is ever going to see me naked again and I doubt I'll ever go swimming again and I feel naked in shorts. I also like the area about a hands-clasp before my wrist. I always wear long-sleeved shirts as well, but if the weather gets to me, I can hide the scars beneath a few bracelets and/or a watch.

[Arra]

It's similar for me. I use my upper thighs because I doubt anyone will see them anytime soon. I suppose I could use my upper arms too but for some reason I really don't want scars there. Although, when I finally do decide to have sex with someone and they see my legs, I fear the scars I suppose. I already have about, I don't even know, probably 20 or so scars on my legs, maybe more, I'll have to wait for them to heal to tell. I'm afraid that even once everything heals, my legs will look terrible, that they've already been ruined. I've been considering getting tattoos, once they heal of course. I don't know. There's a huge scar on my arm I've had for years which I might want to get a tattoo for if it's possible. It's only a recent consideration. I swear I never used to get scars, when I did it a few years ago (while a teenager). Cuts would just heal. I don't know whether I've been cutting deeper, or I was lucky before, or it has something to do with age.