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Dealing with Obscure Forms of Self Harm (Triggers inside)

CarinaNicole January 12th, 2015

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.

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Jessica January 12th, 2015

Awesome post, Carina! It's important to shed light to these types of self-injury.

Like she said, if you're suffering from any of these, or other types of SI,you are not alone!heart

MarianTheSiren January 17th, 2015

I used to pick the skin around my thumbs really badly. They'd bleed and were almost always in one state or another of freshly picked or still healing. But I never did that with the intention of hurting myself, it was a mindless habit I would do without thinking, and not really pay attention to until it stung. I grew out of it. Later on I did begin cutting, transitioned to burning, then starting cutting again. Those I did with the intention to harm, but never skin picked with the intention to harm. So was picking the skin around my thumbs a coincidental bad habit? Or was it a sign that I was predisposed for self harm? I do have several OCD symptoms, but never thought ofmy skin picking as a compulsion.Also, when I was little I would bite myself as hard as I could stand it. But that was before depression. Can you help me make sense of this?

2 replies
CarinaNicole OP January 17th, 2015

Well, Marian, thanks for telling us your story, I'm proud of you! Personally, I don't think anyone is has a predisposition to self harm, but there could be motivators. The things you're describing, like the picking of your thumbs, sound more like means of coping with anxiety than OCD. Cutting and burning can both be pretty detrimental if executed often, and it could really mess you up. Mostly it sounds like you're trying to distract yourself from emotional pain by directing it to physical pain.

You're very brave for making this post. If you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to PM me! You'll get through this! <3

1 reply
MarianTheSiren January 18th, 2015

Thank you! Also, I had never heard of self-injury as a disorder in and of itself. I thought it was just a coping mechanism that accompanied mental disorders. I thought trichotillomania and dermatillomania were disorders all their own while burning, cutting, beating, etc werejust coping methods? I've experienced cutting, burning, beating, as well as the skin picking mentioned but also occasional instances where I was so upset I ripped out my hair. So what does that mean for me? Am I just a mixed bag?

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Zan2 January 17th, 2015

Shortly after my dad died almost four years ago I started burning my finger tips, never bad enough to reach second degree burns but bad enough to leave first degree burns, it was an accidental discovery that I enjoyed the pain. I had touched something I didn't realize was hot and after that I started recreating the pain, it made me feel alive and gave me a second where I didn't have to deal with people pittying me or the emotional pain of losing my dad(I was in the passenger seat in the car accident that killed him). Anyway one of my friends saw me burning my finger tips one day and took my lighter and wouldn't give it back until I promised them I wouldn't burn myself. I may not be able to take the means away from you but I'm willing to talk you down if you are burning.

1 reply
CarinaNicole OP January 17th, 2015

I'm so sorry to hear about your father, Zan. It's great that you want to make a difference and help people through their urge to burn. It's always great to have the support of someone who overcame the problem themselves!

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MichaelaS January 17th, 2015

This is great!

1 reply
CarinaNicole OP January 17th, 2015

Thanks, Michaela! <333

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slayteralmighty January 21st, 2015

I do ice burning ( salt and ice if you didn't know) sometimes. I stumbled on it one time and got hooked. I'm still trying to stop it though

1 reply
paperthinhymn August 19th, 2015

logically i know i was never the only one to use this method, but i'm surprised to actually see it listed here. i was all about ice burning for a while as well as actual burning. there are still articles of my clothing that have safety pins hidden along the fabric in case of an emotional emergency. i used to always carry a lighter, so i was always ready. plus if i needed to stay in front of people, i had access to a sharp object all the time. never drew blood with the safety pins from just using the tip or anything. but could almost always stave off the overwhelming feelings by digging it in just enough to cause pain.

also did this weird thing with my hoodie strings. i'd wrap them around my finger right between the place where they connect to the hand and the first knuckle. i'd hold the string in one hand and run my other hand back and forth, creating friction. it was "great" in class because no one was going to question you playing with hoodie strings.

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eviesweet January 22nd, 2015

(probably triggering, just warning) Oh. Just realized I've done those since little. I would pick at scabs until they bleed, but only on my ears - to the point of my dad screaming and me hiding. I would self-hit when upset, a few years later. And burning came afterwards. I'm in recovery for two years almost, and still it's hard to stop. I still need assurance that my burning is serious because I can't. Cutting is everywhere. My psychologist (all three) have spent months trying to stop saying the word "cut" when saying "did you cut?" "i don't cut" "oh right, you burn, isn't it?". It made me feel like I had to cut to be taken seriously, so I started to scratch again, but more serious this time.

It was a dark moment of my life I both regret and accept. Sometimes still want to go to that hell again. Okay, not long ago had a relapse, but picked myself up after falling down and that's what matters.

I just never took it seriously. Not even my binging. Thank you for posting something like this!! It means a lot to me and i'm sure it means a lot to others.

ZooBombBird97215 January 22nd, 2015

I am a chronic nail biter, I also bite the skin around my nails. I feel really bad about it. I am trying to find a different way of coping with stress besides biting my nails.

Ridelawn January 22nd, 2015

(TW dermatillomania)

I have dermatillomania, but it isn't used as self-harm. I think there are others like me in this respect, though many others do use it specifically for self-harm.

I pick my skin, especially my scalp, face, and shoulders. Part of it is because I have good skin and I like it to stay smooth, so I pick off any bumps or rough spots, which usually gives me more rough spots or scabs. :C

I also just enjoy doing it; kind of like a person addicted to drugs is gratified from taking them, as some researchers postulate for skin picking and the like.

Floresaj January 22nd, 2015

Clinically is there a difference in how one treats self sabotage? Sometimes when I start finding that a job environment is getting overwhelming, my sense of judgementstarts to grow apathetic and in both conscious and unconscious ways I start sabotaging the gig and it spirals out of control until it's such an unhealthy environment they have to let me go. The initial overwhelming is usually just fear based, I don't understand enough of what I need to do to play well, but the distructo-spiral is a combination of confusion, being overwhelmed, apathy and panic. Comorbiditiesare anxiety, depression, ADHD, apnea, and low testosterone, all of which I am under medical care for. This is a repeated pattern professionally. It can't continue.

HeresMyInsideVoice January 22nd, 2015

Very often self-harm behaviors are a result of a mental or neurological condition. They are parr of self-soothing behaviors called "stims" or "stimming". They are reactive behaviors that are usually in response to an external mental or emotional stressor. People on the Autism spectrum tend to stim in various ways, such as rocking, hair pulling, skin picking and so on. People with BPD (borderline personality disorder) have a high tendency for self-harming and self-sabatoging behaviors. Also those with a Bipolar spectrum disorder can self-harm if rhey are experiencing manic or hypomanic behavior. If you have a tendency toward these sorts of behaviors, seeking further into a potential mental or neurological diagnosis can be very helpful and relieving to know that you are not alone and that there are treatments, both pharmaceuticals and non-medicinal, as well as counseling that can be very beneficial. Talk to your doctor about referring you to a psychologist if your self-harming or stimming behavior is affecting your daily life. Take care. - D.

2 replies
CarinaNicole OP January 23rd, 2015

This is a great post! Keep up the good work! :)

impudentia April 23rd, 2015

I'm an autistic person with borderline, makes me feel like I'm kind of fucked over... lol

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