Unusual forms of self-harm?

[InkBlood]

It seems that people on this forum are ones who have mostly cut or burned. My self harm issues are scratching my skin, to the point of infection with large scars and biting. The biting is easier to stop I think, scratching is almost unconscious at this point, though it's gotten worse in the past year. Has anyone successfully stopped either of these behaviors? I'm not sure, but I think it might be physically, though not mentally easier to stop cutting or burning or be forced to in a psychiatric hospital, for instance, because you kind of need something to cut or burn with in those instances.

[Syvelocin]

I don't do it like I did my self-harm, but some people describe certain anxiety disorders as self-harm. Dermatillomania and dermatophagia: skin picking and skin biting. I'm probably never going to stop that. It isn't horrible, but if you pay attention you can see scarring on my fingertips that I'm just going to have to deal with. It's like crack to me, picking. And when I start, I can't stop. Face, scalp, arms. Scabs, nails, skin. But it's different in that I don't do it to see blood like cutting.

See, it depends on severity. I think they're equally difficult because desperate cutters will be able to hurt themselves, no matter what you take from them. Trust me, not even a psych hospital is fool-proof. I would tell them about the gap in their security, but that would be a disadvantage to me. I've never done more than bite and scratch in hospitals—I've never been really interested in adding another two weeks to my discharge date—but I've brought razors in before that they've never even noticed.

[candabear17]

I use to scratch at my skin but I haven't in a long time. It's mainly because I bite my nails too short to scratch with. Try carrying something you can dig your nails into. I always get a Styrofoam cup from the convenience store in the mornings so I just use the side of the cup. As for the biting, I still do that sometimes, but I mainly just grind my teeth which also isn't good. Try gum or even mints. They have the crunch and after a while your mouth is basically numb XD

[InkBlood]

Perhaps I was unclear. By biting, I don't just mean the inside of my mouth(I've been doing that one as long as I can remember) I mean like my hand and wrist. And I do definitely see blood when I bite or scratch, it's not just little things. I mean, it's far from the stories that I've heard of people cutting open their wrists to the point of requiring serious stitches, it's still a significant issue. Especially since due to playing music, my hands get a good amount of attention and another issue unrelated may be about to bring more.

[candabear17]

I bite my hands not my mouth. o.o Mainly just the webs between my thumbs and index fingers. I have a scar on one of them from where I bit through and basically cut my web in half. I also have problems with biting other people but that may be unrelated. Either way, no one on here can tell you what will work for you; you have to find that out yourself. Just keep working towards it and you'll find something.

[CharlieHorse]

self sabotage

[candabear17]

self sabotage

I agree but any kind of self harm is sabataging yourself.

[survivor]

Perhaps I was unclear. By biting, I don't just mean the inside of my mouth(I've been doing that one as long as I can remember) I mean like my hand and wrist. And I do definitely see blood when I bite or scratch, it's not just little things. I mean, it's far from the stories that I've heard of people cutting open their wrists to the point of requiring serious stitches, it's still a significant issue. Especially since due to playing music, my hands get a good amount of attention and another issue unrelated may be about to bring more.

I have been doing the biting thing since sixth grade, and it really is almost unconscious to me now. It started out that when I was mad at myself I would bite my hand, my hand was always bruised and would often times bleed. Another thing I did was stuck thorns in my skin.

I also play music and the biting has been trouble, like if my hand gets real swollen from it. The main thing that pulled me away from it is just focusing my energy on my flute, guitar, art, and poetry.

[missfortune]

well as a form of SI I do the salt ice challenge and at first I thought it wasn't SI but then my sister told me it was1

[HerSecretsAreExposed]

I honestly do the same, when I cant cut I scrach myself until I have blood under my finger nails... HAve you found a way to stop?

[MrMundane]

[QUOTE=Syvelocin;2130363]I don't do it like I did my self-harm, but some people describe certain anxiety disorders as self-harm. Dermatillomania and dermatophagia: skin picking and skin biting.

I started picking at my fingers a while ago, I bite and use knives so it can get pretty bad on my fingers. It stings to get my hands wet a lot of the time.

[What_ever]

I cut, scratch and bite myself. Cutting is the easiest. Biting is something that leaves no marks (in my case, of course) but doesn't really help me when I'm feeling really, really bad. And scratching leaves the most awful marks and scars that stay there for years and I scratch myself only when I don't have my razor anywhere near.

[CastigateMe]

I don't know if this counts as particularly "unusual," but when I have no access to an object that I would need, like if I were in the middle of class, I bite my lips and the insides of my cheeks until they are bleeding.

I also pull off and/or damage the skin on my fingers, near my nails.

I've also been known to rip out multiple strands of hair at a time.