Myths about self harm
| Self harm is a sign of madness |
People who self harm are not mad. Self harmers tend to be people who are suffering a great deal of stress and unhappiness.
| Someone who self harms is a danger to others |
Someone who self harms is unlikely to harm anyone else.
| Self harm is attention seeking |
Self harm is not attention seeking. It is the persons way of dealing with difficult emotions. To them, it may feel like a survival method.
| People who self harm do not feel the pain |
Pain may not be felt at the very moment of the injury, but usually afterwards the pain is quite obvious to them. Sometimes the sense of relief can cloud the initial sensation of pain.
| Self harm is a suicide attempt gone wrong |
Self harm is a way of surviving, keeping alive, managing to function from day to day and coping with difficult issues and emotions. Some self harmers may attempt/commit suicide but that tends to be a separate issue not to be confused with self harm.