Just a bit of help.

[ZachTWB]

I have no clue what self-harm is like, I read things about it but I still don't understand.

I have a friend, she does self-harm and I want to help her. So, I guess what i'm trying to say is please help me understand enough to the point where I can help my friend.

[Ambrosia]

The highest percentage of self-harmers do it because they feel they need to. That's a good place to start. It's like an addiction and you need to make sure your friend is okay with you trying to help her. Some people feel really insecure about people knowing.

[whodunit]

All you can do is let her know that you care and are there for her. Remind her you are there for her. Me being reminded not to do things like that helps because i seem to forget people care when they dont actually show it:/

[Kiko]

It really is an addiction, and in my experience many people will deny outright that they are doing it and refuse any help. Everyone has a different reason for cutting and sometimes people will continue cutting even after the reason they started cutting is gone. I used to cut telling myself that it was better to feel pain than to feel nothing.

What helped me was my friends. I found a group of people who wouldn't judge me and who would be there at any hour of the night to help me out.

[Mattasaur94]

To clarify, Zach, self harm doesn't always refer to cutting, so how to help your friend can't really be specified unless you are able to specify what form of Self harm it is?

As the others have said, self harm is caused by a large majority of things; and given time it can become an addiction, but it can be over come.
For more detail on the issue (or topic) there are hundreds of threads on it, spend some time reading.

Welcome to VT, for the record.
I hope the community can be of assistance.

[1_21Guns]

There are multiple generalised reasons a person will turn to self harm,
It can sometimes be for punishment, as they believe everythings their fault and that they haven't suffered enough for it, so they'll inflict pain upon themselves.
Others may do it as a form of escape, perhaps to feel like thier problems momentarily 'bleed out' and they can finally seem to escape them.
Others may do it as they feel it relieves stress.
Some people may have a combination of reasons, and reasons of their own.
Every cutter really has their own personal reasons for doing it, and without personally being/have been a self harmer, there is only so much understanding you will ever get from it.
As it's been said, it can become an addiction, which is why it is in no means recommened to try in an attempt to understand, as many fall under the illusion of thinking they can do it once and never again, which isn't true apart from in very rare situations.
Ultimately, it is an addiction and can be overcome, just be there for her when she needs someone to talk to, she'll come round in her own time.

[Love.Hate]

As it's been said, it can become an addiction, which is why it is in no means recommened to try in an attempt to understand, as many fall under the illusion of thinking they can do it once and never again

I cant stress this enough! ^

Self harm is a way of coping with something, most/all self harmers will have other underlying problems that led to self harm.. So find out what those problems are and help her work through them.

I think everyone else has explained the rest of what its all about, good luck helping her xx