Dealing with Obscure Forms of Self Harm (Triggers inside)
Hey, all! I'm Carina, and I think I may be 7 Cups' psych journal junkie. Basically, I've suffered with countless self injury disorders and have taken it upon myself to educate myself on the topics. We often look at cutting and eating disorders as the largest forms of self-harm. At least, those are the ones most glorified by the media. We don't really see much else in today's pop culture because society doesn't think it's a problem. However, there is a larger phenomena of self-harm occurring, and more obscure techniques are emerging. Some are listed below. This may be a trigger for some. Please do not attempt these yourself.
-trichotillomania, the constant need to pull out one's hair, eyelashes, or eyebrows
-dermatillomania, the constant need to pick at one's skin or nails
-burning, which is self explanatory
-self-hitting, which is the compulsion to beat up one's own body
-consumption of harmful/inedible materials. This can be something as simple as paper, something the body can't ingest properly, to something as severe as poisonous cleaning solutions
-binging, whether it be food, drugs, or alcohol
All of these things are really harmful, and they aren't often brought to the light. I personally suffer from trichotillomania and dermatillomania, as well as a slew of other anxiety issues. However, you can't let your illness define you. Coping with self harm is something difficult and scary, especially when the form you suffer from is never really addressed. Just know you're not alone when you're feeling down.
Guess I never stopped self-harming if I read this list... When I feel bad I get very restless and I put myself in bad situations on purpose, either during sports (trying to get tackled on purpose or crossing my physical boundaries), with eating (starvation), or sexual (seeking out encounters even though I'm asexual and dislike the act). I did cut for a while, but I always favored the above or scratching.
It is well you fight continues I took six months without self-harm and look forward to much longer. Focus on creative things, sport and healthy living. do things with people and not think more than they should. luck
I've had trichotillomaniafor about six years, and dermatillomaniafor ten. I don't remember a time when I didn't bite my tongue, inner lips, or pick at my nails and lips, it was just something I did all the time. I started pulling out my hair around the time I started middle school, but was very good about making sure I didn't get bald spots. I've tried scalp massagers and spiny rings but nothing keeps my fingers from flying to my lips or head...
*spinny
Does lip picking count? I tend to do that a lot, to the point my lips bleed and i can't talk properly. This isespecially prominant if Ican't use my preferedmethod. I also do it when I'm really nervous.
Compulsive exercise can also be an obscure form of self-harm
Possible Trigger Warning.
If you are triggered when you read about methods of self harm, please do not read.
I don't want anyone to be triggered. 
When I first started self harming (four years ago), I would pull out my hair on my head (trichotillomania), bang my head against hard surfaces (self-hitting) , scratch my arms with my fingernails, and bite my self. I would also dig my fingernails into my thighs and claw my face with my fingernails. Sometimes the things I did would draw blood, sometimes they wouldn't.
Back then, I never knew that I actually did Self Harm. I didn't know it existed, and I just thought I was a hopeless freak who hurt herself for no reason.
I just self harmed "without thinking". I just did it.
Now, four years later, I started to self harm again. Now, I claw at myself with my fingernails and I recently started to cut (with razor blade). I almost always draw blood.
I searched Google (or somewhere else on the Internet, I don't remember) for:
"How can I stop hurting myself" (or something like that).
And guess what came up?
Self harm.
Now, I know that I Self Harm. I know what it is.
In a way, knowing what something is (like Self Harm) and putting a name on it is helping me to understand what's "wrong" with me. It is helping me understand that Self Harm is real. It is also helping me understand that Self Harm is not normal behavior, and that I can (and hopefully will) recover from SH.
I wish you all the best of luck in your own journeys to recovery from your own forms of Self Harm.
**Possible Trigger**
When it comes to self harm, I've engaged in many different methods to go about it. My main method is cutting, which isn't obscure at all. However, I also scratch, prevent the healing of wounds, purge as an act of self harm, and abuse prescription drugs in an act of self-poisoning.
When I was really young my family went through a lot and I starting pulling out my eyelashes. I didn't know why but it just felt good. I also started getting headaches that lasted for days, but soon I found a neurologist who I am still seeing now. I was diagnosed with anxiety and migraines due to stress and tension, caused by anxiety. He wasn't sure exactly what the eyelash deal was called but he thought it was anxiety based so he put me on medication for headaches and one for anxiety. At that time I didn't know what anxiety was so I thought it was just going to make me stop pulling my eyelashes and it didn't. So I was taken off of it and now that I know what anxiety it I really wish I wasn't. I still struggle with trichotillomania today and I don't talk about my anxiety a lot except for to my best friend who struggles too. I believe my mom and doctor think my anxiety is doing good but honestly it's really not. This whole thread was really neat and informative to read through though and I look forward to hearing more and hope you all are doing good :-)
I used to cut, I stopped around 19 and I am now 22. However I've been coping with anxiety, depression, and self-worth issues a lot lately. Last night the issue in the household got me so worked up that I started scratching (more like clawing thinking back) and pinching my arm really badly. I woke up today to find scars and bruises and I feel bad. I was doing so great.. I'm worried my boyfriend will ask me what happened I and just don't want to explain that. However I am hoping that (since it had been so long since I've hurt myself) that maybe I will regain control a little easier this time than in the past... Idk it's nothing super obscure, but I also wanted to let others know that even if you stop and then end up falling back into it again, you are stronger than you think and can overcome the urge. Even if it takes years and years... Progress, even if it's small, when it comes to loving yourself is still progress..
"I used to cut" is one of the strongest things a person can say. :)
I used to scratch myself with a razor. Not to scar or draw blood just enough so it would leave red marks. I was 3 months clean but a few days ago I relapsed I still scratch myself but it's with a rough brush this time. I never draw blood or scar because I'm scared I'll cut to deep. I only scratch so that the pain caused by scratching is more than the pain caused by depression.
Mods can delete this if it violates anything. There's venipuncture which doesn't leave scars. Maybe it's better that way? Idk
