All quotes come from anonymous people with lived experience of self-injury. Unlike other mental health difficulties, self-injury can leave permanent scars. It is important to keep in mind however that scars do not always form from self-injury1, 2. The appearance of scars differ with the method used to injure oneself. For instance, cutting generally leaves a line-shaped wound whereas burning with the tip of a … Continue reading The significance of self-injury scars

Self-harm, along with mental health in general, remains a deeply stigmatized and misunderstood topic. Young people who struggle with the behavior report having difficulties talking about it and suicide thoughts as they do not feel listened to. Furthermore, they can also suffer from judgment when seeking treatment in hospitals where self-harm remains perceived negatively (Ashworth et al., 2022). In order to combat the stigma that … Continue reading Innovation: Self-harm Safe Kits

People who let others know they self-harm, either by telling them or showing injuries, are often blamed for being « attention-seeking ». This term has a negative connotation and suggests these people are manipulative and do not have any legitimate reasons to feel bad. Yet, if someone self-harms, they do so for legitimate reasons. Self-harm should not be judged and there should not be a … Continue reading “Attention-needing”, not “attention-seeking”

In an article published in 2021, Self-injury recovery: A person-centered framework, Stephen P. Lewis and Penelope A. Hasking argue that recovery is a complex and non-linear process that varies from one individual to another and cannot be reduced to cessation of self-harm only. “Indeed, NSSI recovery is not a one‐shoe‐fits‐all process” they explain. They suggest a model of recovery that is person-centered. Their Person-Centered Model … Continue reading The Person-Centered Model of Self-Injury Recovery

Many people who self-harm celebrate spending a certain amount of time “clean” of self-harm. Counting days since the last event of self-harm can be a great source of motivation to some but it can also put pressure on others. When someone relapses and self-harms again, this method can become unforgiving and demotivating: it sets the number of days without self-harm back to zero and progress … Continue reading Should you quantify progress in self-injury recovery?

I WROTE THIS TEXT MONTHS BEFORE CREATING THE BLOG. IT IS NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OTHER POSTS AS IT IS A QUICK REFLECTION RATHER THAN A WELL-RESEARCHED ARTICLE. I WILL BETTER TACKLE THIS TOPIC LATER AND DELETE THIS POST. This article is about the results for a casual form I did about 3 months ago. It was a form I shared online, mainly on r/AdultSelfHarm … Continue reading Methods of self-harm