Piercing and attention seeking?
a lot of people here seem to be under the impression that if you get pierced or tattooed - you want attention. apparently you MUST be rebellious, want to improve your self esteem, or show the world that you hate yourself so much that you want to disfigure yourself. i would like to state that i am 21 years old. i'm at uni, and to make a bit of extra cash - i temp in offices. i do everything i can to hide my piercings/tattoos so that i am not discriminated against and employers get to judge my personality before assuming i'm some 'crazy kid'. although i hide them for professional purposes, i am not ashamed of my modifications. i think they are beautiful, and i am very proud of them. they are for me and me only. not to create attention, not to stick a finger up to the world, and not because i want to fit in with friends. my question is this why do you assume that everyone with tattoos or piercings wants that kind of attention? do you not think there could be another reason behind it?
Are people who self-harm just looking for attention?
The first girl I really had deep feelings for is a sociopath. She has “problems” but I can assure you that none of them are depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts. She was a regular self-harmer, but about 5 months after I met her I convinced her to stop for about 4 months(First red flag.) We started getting intimate and then later she got back onto cutting herself and saying she wanted to die, but never took things further. Jumping to later in the year, she ended up cheating on me and trying to keep me as a friend(Second red flag.) A few days after the Fourth of July, she texted me at 7 A.M. saying she finally was going to commit suicide. She told me she took a bunch of her pills and would be dead soon(Holy shit that’s a BIIIIIG flag- and oh look, it’s red)I freaked the fuck out. I called the police and they arrived very soon after at her house. I lost communication with her for a little but I found out that she took about 11 Prozac pills to try and OD.For those who don’t know about Prozac, it is an antidepressant that is normally in the range of 10mg - 60mg. (1)The normal amount that causes “minimal harm” is around 1,400 mg of ingested Prozac. Even if she was on the max dosage of Prozac she would have come nowhere close to enough for a suicide attempt.(2) Once I read this I realized she just wanted attention. She has a heart condition and if she took more than 3 of the pills she has for her heart at once, she would have been dead before she could have texted me. She’s a sociopath who has too many people wrapped around her finger and it sickens me, but I won’t have to see her again, which gives me some relief.Now I know there are people who have horrible thoughts and the escape from them is self harm, but in the case of M.W, it’s not. Some people want any attention they can get because that’s the way they feel accepted.TL;DR: I know a girl who self-harmed and just wanted attention, but not everyone is like her. Some people actually need help.Edit: Forgot to add in links to reference by facts so I don’t seem like a dumb(1)Prozac (Fluoxetine) - Side Effects, Dosage, Interactions - Drugs(2)Fluoxetine Overdose-Induced Seizure
Could this simply be attention seeking behavior?
We have a family member who got caught stealing prescription pain medication from other family members and friends. The thief denied stealing, and when all the evidence was presented and he could no longer deny it, he "kind of" tried to commit suicide. BUT -- he left a very dramatic note, took his cell phone AND the charger, packed a bag with clothes, toiletries and the stolen pain medication, went to a liquor store and got plenty of booze, checked himself into a motel, ordered a pizza, waited until midnight when his accusers were all in bed and fast asleep, then proceeded to call all of them and in a drunken stupor say "I'm okay .... I'm okay". Does this sound like an attempted suicide or just a way to deflect attention from the crime of theft? All the other family members are walking on eggshells right now, feeling guilty about pushing him too far and I seem to be the only who is saying BS on all of it. The irony of it is this family member was taken to the hospital by the Sheriff's department. It took over 12 hours for his blood alcohol level to return to normal so he could get counseled by the social workers. If he had taken all of the muscle relaxers and pain pills that were in his bottles, he probably would have indeed committed suicide. Yesterday I was concerned, but today when I learned about the cell phone, the packed bag, the motel and pizza I feel used and angry. He was supposed to be checked into rehab today -- but now the family is backing out. I think it is pure and simple manipulation and attention seeking behavior. Would you agree? Is there something I am missing? Or am I being cold hearted?
Why do others think suicide is just an "attention-getter"?
I don't understand some of this. I get if someone wants attention they may attempt suicide and know they won't go through with it but it will get everyone's attention that they need help. But what about the people that attempt it and truly mean to die but don't or the people that actually do it? I'd like this to come from people that have been in this position and maybe a few outside opinions. As someone who has been there, I don't see how my feeling this way is crying for attention unless you mean subconciously and only to get help, not to be the center of attention. I know I don't tell anyone about it really because I feel strange feeling this way so I don't say I'm suicidal for any attention so why do people always say that? I just want to learn what people think of it, why they think the things they do about suicide.
Do you think people who self harm or threaten suicide are attention seekers?
Well, I can't really group all people who self harm together. There are people I've seen with Facebook, Instagram, and even Pandora profiles that all go along the lines of "I'm emo and I've got the scars to prove it" or "Yes, I cut. Don't try and stop me because nothing you say will." I personally find that ridiculous. However, in some cases it is a serious issue and become an addiction. I believed the exact same thing you did before I went through some troubling times and got hooked on self harm myself. Luckily, I'm a lot more educated on the subject now. From a scientifical standpoint, cutting or harming yourself releases adrenaline and endorphins into the body giving you a temporary feeling of pleasure or high. When you're anxious, depressed, (etc.) it becomes easy to feel internally numb. You ache to feel something. And what better thing to stir up emotions than pain? And ba-da-bing you're hurt for a second, the numb feeling goes away, then you get high. It's very easy to become addicted to this sort of feeling (I was at one time). In most cases like this, it isn't a cry for help. I remember wearing sweaters in 100 degree (F) heat because I didn't want my scars shown. If anyone saw them, I was mortified and flustered and made up some dumb excuse. Luckily, I'm getting better now and perfectly fine with sharing my story to help others understand the issue a bit more. In conclusion, you can't group all self harm together. There are some dumb ones that are doing it for attention. And there are some endangered ones that are doing it for the sake of being high.