Is self harm really a bad thing [possible trigger]

[Jacobdhardtke]

so I'm new here but not new to self harm, I have self harmed for 5 years, and even though I see all these people who say they want to stop or that they want people to stop, I personally don't plan on stopping, this is how I deal with my life and if I didn't do it I wouldn't be alive today, I don't use one specific method, and I go alittle overboard sometimes but I never get to critical level were I need medical help or I'll die, some people know I cut and they and they think I quit 2 months ago but I don't want to quit, I know I sound crazy but I don't care

[ksdnfkfr]

I'll just say that I'm glad I got counseling and am able to deal with things now without self harm. It was very helpful to me to find out why I was self harming and get a better grip on those feelings.

[Captain Canada]

I understand what you're saying, but I can relate to it in no way. The thought of hurting yourself on purpose is just mind boggling to me, even if I did go through it. Yes, self harm is an extremely bad thing. You're killing yourself slowly, both physically and emotionally. If someone sees it as bad is a completely different topic. You may not see it as bad, and therefore continue to do it, but overall your hurting yourself.

[Babs]

I mean, you're literally harming yourself... so I consider it a bad thing, despite having done it for years myself.

[phuckphace]

short answer: yes

long answer: yes, it's no different than taking up drugs in the sense that it's a temporary escape from pain, but doesn't address the underlying root causes. any "solution" to a problem that doesn't address root causes isn't a solution, it's just a stop-gap. so with that in mind, I can understand why people take up self-harm (or drugs) as coping mechanisms, but anecdotes like "it works for me" shouldn't be taken at face value.

five years? what about ten or twenty?

[Desuetude]

I know what you mean. It's doing what you intended for it to do when you first started self harming. Keeping you calm and level headed and preventing anything worse from happening but really it's not something that can be safely used over a long period of time. I mean there's always the chance of infection, you can do things to minimise it but never completely prevent it.

It's a tricky situation really. I mean no person is going to stop unless they have the mindset of wanting to quit or they no longer need it anymore. It's a coping mechanism, a sense of comfort when nothing else couuld comfort you and you're familiar with it. Unless you replace that feeling with something else you're going to keep 'needing' to self harm.

I suppose it's at the point where it becomes an addition that it gets to be very dangerous. When you're no longer self harming because it helps but because you feel that you 'need' it. When anything is triggering you and you're constantly thinking about it that's really when it becomes something that should be stopped. At the moment, if it's still helping, then that's not so bad but it can always turn into something more; an uncontrollable addiction that is doing more harm than good.

It's pretty controversial but then again self harm as a whole is anyway. Personally I'm with you in the sense that as long as it's helping then it's not a problem. If it's benefiting more than not doing it is then it can be argued that it's alright but I would always discourage it because at first it helps and then starts to turn into an addiction. Temporary use is what I'd say it *should* be used for but even then you should be looking for alternative, less harmful ways to deal. It's not something that can efficiently be used long term.

[UnknownError]

although it seems as if it's helping you, it's not. nothing good ever comes out of it. there are much healthier ways to express your emotions or to deal with life.

[Uranus]

It's not good. Even if it is enjoyable, desirable for certain reasons...its not good.
I think we all know why it isn't good

[Miserabilia]

It's not the worst but it's not exactly a healthy way to deal with things.

[amgb]

Although I don't like labelling things as 'good' or 'bad', sometimes I do label and I do slip into black and white thinking and I tell myself that self harm is an awful, terrible bad thing. But I've always thought of self harm as a way of coping, and I mean that's what it is, that's why a lot of people do it; to cope. And although not everyone uses it, it's still a coping method and should be accepted for what it is and yes I know it is not widely accepted but the stigma needs to change, and it is changing, which is really good. So I think it depends how you look at self harm, everyone thinks differently~~

[Hideous]

I guess it's considered bad because in the long run, it can keep you from dealing with things in healthy ways. Self harm is an indicator that you're suppressing feelings rather than actually thinking about them and finding solutions for them.