If you have a friend or family member that you think may be self harming then reading this article should help you recognise some of the warning signs that might suggest that they are, however there is no definite guide that says all self harmer’s do this or that. Some are also very good at covering it up and will make up excuses and deny it till they are blue in the face.
The self harm warning signs
Before you will be able to spot or understand the warning signs you need to understand self harming, too many people believe that it is an attempt at suicide or a call for attention, although in some cases this may be true, for the majority it is not and it is wrong to assume that this is the case for your friend. From the people that i have known to self harm, most do it because it is the only way that they can escape the pain that they feel inside, usually something drastic has happened in their lives and self harm is their release.
To recognise the signs of self harm i would recommend that you spot at lease 3 of the following signs before you take further action such as talking to a professional or even talking to your friend about it.
- Unexplained cuts, bruises or burns on the body, especially if they go to lengths to hide them from view (such as wearing long sleeves in hot weather).
- Sudden secrecy towards you, an example wold be they no longer let you look through their clothes draw.
- Sudden changes in mood, social life, eating and sleeping patterns.
- sudden loss of interest in school, sports or hobbies.
Background history
Although not all self harmer’s will have a bad background and not all bad backgrounds lead to self harm, a majority of those that do self harm will have experienced one or more of the following.
- A history of abuse, either physical, sexual or emotional, including bullying.
- A history of neglect.
- Family history of mental illness.
- Depression.
- Drinks/Drugs/Substance abuse within the family.
Why self harm
A lot of people, especially teenagers self harm as a way of letting go of the pain that they feel inside. It is a way of escaping reality and some also self harm to make them self feel human (by feeling physical pain).
Some will feel guilty once they have self harmed and will try harder to cover up what they have done, however due to the addictiveness of self harming, many get stuck in a circle where they get tempted to do it again and again until its the only thing they do.
Many teenagers also self harm as they feel that they have no one to turn to or to talk to, so their only release from the pain is to let the pain out.
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