Why do people self harm?

Yesterday i bought my razor to school (i use the shit u shave with because i have bad ptsd from cutting WAY to deep with eyebrow razors) and after 2rd hour i cut myself in the bathroom and during fourth hour i went to the bathroom to cut myself and god it just felt, amazing. Like ti was awesome to have soemthign to actually look forward to. I know i need to actually get help and talk to someone but i have no one so WHATEVVEEDRR if i get caught how much troibke wkll i be im caught because. I dont rhink shaving razors. Can be considered a actual weapon or whatever

i wish people discussed this more, beyond social consequences. my scars hurt ALL the time.

ive been cutting myself for 11 years now and its just been the past four or five, that it kept getting more extreme. i feel stupid for saying i didnt realize just how dangerous or permanent cutting into deeper tissue is, but it really really is dangerous. even "styros" are. theres nerves in the fat layer that ive def damaged. i have circulation issues with my legs now too, my feet go numb completely when i sit down. my scars itch horribly, parts of my arms and legs are numb forever now. i cant even enjoy my normal hobbies without nerve pain in my wrists

scars can seal layers of tissue together, causing muscles to not move or stretch properly. you can trap nerves, sever nerves, cause paralysis, circulation issues, numbness ect. harm reduction is so important. Dont cut deeper, and if you do, please try to minimize the depth. i feel so incredibly stupid for thinking that the only thing left after a wound heals, is the scar.

i just looked down at some of the cuts on my thighs, and there’s some darkish purple dots surrounding two intersecting ones and kind of spreading around. is this cause for concern, and should i see a doctor about this?

I noticed that my younger brother drew a scar on his wrist. I don’t know if I should take this as a warning sign and how I would address it? Ive struggled with self harm myself for years now but no one in my family knows to my knowledge. I can’t help but feel guilty in a way. He wears long sleeves and pants almost every day even though it causes him to overheat, though I have not seen any visible scars or cuts. I know he struggles with his self esteem.

I began cutting on my breasts about two weeks ago, and i want to tell someone. (I know that its dangerous to cut there, but i always have bandages and gauze and those steri strip things with me just in case)

My friends all do or did. They wouldn't try to make it a competition, as far as I know, but I still don't know what to say.

They think that I'm "uncorrupted". I think one of them almost suspected that I did, but I'm not sure.

I am trying to better myself, but it's hard. I hate that my body is wrong. I hate that I was born female. I don't want to commit, I just want my body to not be the way it is.

Sorry if any of this is upsetting, I'm just looking for advice.

I'm sure im not alone with this. I have harmed myself more than i can count over many years but never really wanted to end it all. I did want some things to be better, i did want to not continue living in an existential sense, but i never tried to. It's more like my aim is to destroy myself as much as possible while still being alive, as if i'm torturing myself on purpose. It kind of makes me feel invalid. Does anyone else feel this way?

It's frustrating that I couldn't cut deeper, talked about my selfharm to a friend who also cut deep themself, and they called me out for faking, and pretending to be mentally ill just because they know I couldn't cut any deeper and my sh are just cat scratches🫩🫩 I dgaf about them atp

Is this a place someone can come to prevent self-harm? 988 never helps and I just bared myself on the CPTSD subreddit asking for a hug and already got like 60+ views but everyone has ignored it and it’s really triggering me. I wish I could go and get an ice cold drink but my car is undriveable.

I want to die, but I don’t want to kill myself. I’m lost, hopeless and scared. I’m weak and I might be a bad person. I can’t die or disappear, I have a son who I love more than myself. I’m terrified. I’m tired. I’m a mess. My son deserves the best but what if I lose all my strength? His father has the power and he’s not afraid to use it against me. I’m not strong enough. I just want to disappear.

I relapsed last night and now i really want to do it again.

I dont really have much reason to … the cuts are still very obviously red and fresh, and they still sting a little sometimes, but it feels like i need to do a redo. Like i need to go back and cut the places in between the areas i cut so that i have less empty space on that area??? I dont know why. Its been bugging me all day to the point where i literally brought more tissues into my room with the intention of relapsing tonight, but i havent.

I just wantsd to get that off my chest, and if anyone has any tips on how to help those thoughts id greatly appreciate it ◡̈

I've already done it thrice in less than a week. Shit keeps happening on a daily basis, it's not even an urge atp it's like a passive thought I have.

I have only two friends I can talk to about this. One said he might have to tell my parents and the other one didn't seem like he took this seriously the last time I talked to him. It's overwhelming. Uni, job, family and myself. I am the problem. I'm going to do it again today. I stopped because I didn't have first aid on me, now I have the money to buy first aid. Idek why I'm doing it anymore, I'm numb I don't feel anything that pain is the only thing that I can feel, only thing that makes me feel awake. I hate myself so much. All I know is I won't stop anytime soon.

main focus/theme of overdose here. Kind of obvious but just like, tread lightly dude.

3 months ago (3 months! wow) I overdosed. well, I overdosed before that but I think this one was part of a big change in my life. the day right after, the pills I had been using were taken, my knife was taken, everything. I was basically monitored. it wasn’t even an attempt and I had everything taken.

I believe it is the psychological impact of this AIDED by the fact I was overdosing basically every month that had made me how I am now.

i am not myself. my life is split in two parts, the before and the after. I cannot act how I used to. I keep forgetting words, phrases I used to say (which used to be a very large portion of how I communicated in my own little circles.). before this, I would have episodes of depression MIXED with whatever the opposite is. the highs the lows, the tides of life, the thing that makes it go is not coming back.

it’s just. nothing.

and more things are happening aswell!!! my brain and body fails my time and time again where it used to be just fine!!! I drop things, I stumble and cannot process things some days.

i regret it. I regret it so so so much. and if it’s bad for me now, just with this mild change, i can say for sure that if any of you take pills to harm yourself, you will regret it. mark my words. i got off easy, and it could be so much worse, and I am miserable. don’t do it!

you cannot clean a pill bottle. you cannot control the damage here.

do not do it.

i just don’t know how to do this. nobody knows. I cannot tell anybody I know either so, here i am.

i just want a romantic relationship so bad. i want someone to cuddle with at night and talk to about my urges and someone to hold me and kiss me until i feel better that’s all i want that’s all I’ve bee wanting lately. my life is so bleak and i don’t want to live through this. i feel like if i had someone i’d feel better and id feel so much less alone. its all i think about, i just want to be happy but how can i be happy when my life is so fucking bleak?how can i be happy when i don’t even have the motivation or energy to do my favorite things anymore? i don’t go out, i dont know how to date, im not in college, idk what to do with my life. i have a shitty part time job and I spend my days in bed cutting and crying and looking at smut and stupid angst fanfiction and hating myself because im just so pathetic. all the people i do meet im too shy and scared or i just don’t feel anything for real people because i feel like im doing something irreversible. i feel like this will never end, my life will always be like this. the only time i ever actually felt that crush feeling for a real person was when i talked to my internet friend online and we had really heartfelt conversations with each other i want to feel like that again so badly but i don’t know how, I don’t know where to find it. im just so tired of feeling so lonely, im tired of being asexual or whatever i am, I hate this so much

For context, I'm not an adult. I'm 17.

While I was at school today my family finally got sick of me living like a depressed hoarder in my room and decided to clean up my room.

Issue is, I can't find any of my blades or bloodied up bandages and NO ONE has said a word yet.

I'm dying of shame, I wanna cry but I can't. I wanna cut but I can't. I wish they had even said anything this fucking silence is just worse.

I feel like I’m faking. I think I’m an attention seeker. I go through periods of happiness and sadness but they don’t feel real? I don’t know. I feel like I’m faking being sad for attention but when I think about it I don’t really tell anyone anymore so how I can’t be attention seeking. Same thing with cutting myself. I used to show people I don’t know why, maybe for as a cry of help idk. But now I don’t show anyone, it’s my old act no one cares anymore . So I can’t be attention seeking. Also sometimes I’m happy but still want to die. And sometimes when I’m in a “happy period” i don’t believe I was sad, like how could I be. Then sometimes in a “sad period” I don’t ever think I was happy. Sometimes the weight of loneliness crushes in on me and then sometimes I’m fine with it.
I feel like I’m faking for attention but no mentally well person cuts themselves but I still think I’m faking. Do I just want a label? I’m so confused

I guess I’m just not much of a self harm person for the most part until more recently. Usually done with lots of hatred and violence like for me it’s like hating someone enough to physically assault them but feeling that towards myself. Haven’t done any harm in like two weeks but I can feel the urge got such a pull to do someone’s initials carved into me but that’s not a good idea but it’s an idea that persists.

edit. Ran away from home

(anyone please help)

I lost them both

i I lost myself

i broke her and now I’m broken

all that helps is cutting it doesn’t even help it just distracts me long enough to black out covered in blood. I don’t see an end to the misery I brought opon myself

i coudnt even be at the abortion I will never forgive my self for it and I shouldn’t even try because I deserve to be treated the way I’ve treated others

I ran away last night bare foot no shirt and a hand covered in blood. fought my dad. showed the cuts told them I was going to kill myself “fuck you I can drive myself to the hospital“ I never went and my hand is beyond swollen I mean this shit look like micky mouse’s glove i hate doctors im not going there

ik she hates me but won’t leave me im all she has

ive excepted the end to be near I’m not going to fight it anymore I’m ready for the abuse to stop and the abyss to finally arrive

I'm staying at my partner's house for a few days, and while taking a shower I saw all the scars down my thighs and immediately felt super self conscious. Now I'm sat here wishing and hoping that nothing happens which might cause her to see my thighs because I'm scared she'll hate me

hey i accidentally hit beans a couple days ago and that shit was not fun. yall got any tips on how to make sure i dont do that again? do i use a duller knife?

idt this breaks the rules. it is ultimately a harm reduction question so

this is probably due to a rush of adrenaline or something, but everytime i relapse ive been more better.

i was clean for a little and all of a sudden i relapsed genuinely just to do it i didnt even really have a reason and all of a sudden im actually getting out of bed everyday, interacting, doing my makeup, etc.

i want to know the reason to why i do?

I’ve been reading some comics lately and am curious about character that cut. I’m not talking about for their powers but instead as a coping mechanism. I’m more looking for super hero comics though any work.

I am a 2nd year college student, however, my expenses are still covered by my mom. Today i was very sick and couldnt go to my therapist and told it to my mom. Her reply was this;

"I wont waste money to your doctors you dont even go to anymore, you dont even want to be good, you dont even want to get healed. From now on, you wont go to any psychiatrists or psycologists and wont take any meds. Go cut yourself as much as you want i dont care anymore"

And no. I am NOT asking for any kind of financial support. I just want advice about how i can cope with the withdrawal effects of all my meds, and i think i kind of need to talk to someone tbch....

would anyone be able to tell me if a cut is infected? its probably fine im just paranoid

As the title states, I was brought to the ER by my friend to get a fascia cut properly treated because I had concerns that I might've caused nerve damage. My parents are unaware of this occurring, since the hospital didn't contact them in regards to this.

When I was finally seen, I told the doctor that the cut had closed up a bit since the night prior, and that it was actually deeper than what she was seeing. She then said that she only treats what she sees—a subcutaneous injury—, and brushed off my attempts to provide photographic evidence of what it looked like before closing up. She also didn't push when I mentioned numbness in my arm, and sparking when the injury was initially made. She said it was just swelling, or something, and that it'd go away.

I left with a prescription I couldn't pay for because I'm broke (wasn't charged for the visit, as I'm canadian), and potential nerve damage. I don't want my parents to find out, because they're not the best people ever, but I don't know what to do.

Any tips on preventing infection or nerve damage at home would be greatly appreciated. I'm not sure I can go back to the hospital anytime soon unless I want my parents to start suspecting things.