Teen Self-Harm: Helping Teenagers Overcome Self-Harming Behaviors by Using Therapeutic Methods

When someone self-injures, they do not intend to die. People who self-injure may do so as a method to cope with stress- hurting themselves is often seen as a way to control their upsetting feelings. Others do so to dissociate from their problems (e.g. to distract themselves from emotional pain).
How do you know if someone you love self-injures?
It's often difficult to know if someone you love self-injures because many people are very secretive about the behaviour. The person may go to great lengths to hide any evidence and cover up any physical injuries.
It is common for those unfamiliar with self- injury to assume that self- injury is a suicide attempt that didn't work - but that is incorrect. Self- injury is not an attempt to die. People often say that they self-injure so that they don't attempt suicide. This can be confusing to onlookers because self- injury and suicide often involve the same behaviours, but the key difference is the motivation behind the behaviour. Individuals who self-injure engage in these behaviours so that they can feel better, not so that they can end their life.
People who self-injure have a hard time dealing with their feelings. Self- injury is used to reduce, manage or escape from intense emotions. If someone you know self-injures, listen to what they are saying, talk about their emotions, and encourage the person to get help. If the person is at immediate risk of hurting themselves in a life-threatening way, they should be taken to the hospital.

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