Is scratching yourself with your nails or the blunt tip of scissors still self harm if you don't draw blood?
Yes, it is. I recommend you read the book "cutting" by stephen leverkon (spelling?) which may give you some insight into your actions. It may be simply the release of calming brain chemicals that causes you to do this, but it may additionally have been prompted by something more, like repressed abuse memories, or depression to name just a couple. I recommend talking to a school counselor or therapist about this, because it's a sign that either you have more emotional stress than you can handle or you don't have good coping mechanisms or both.
I scratch myself when I'm down?
What is self-injury? It's called many things -- self-inflicted violence, self-injury, self-harm, parasuicide, delicate cutting, self-abuse, self-mutilation (this last particularly seems to annoy people who self-injure). Broadly speaking, self-injury is the act of attempting to alter a mood state by inflicting physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to one's body. The forms and severity of self-injury can vary, although the most commonly seen behavior is cutting, burning, and head-banging. Other forms of self-injurious behavior include: carving scratching branding marking burning/abrasions biting bruising hitting picking/pulling skin and hair I suggest you seek help for this before it becomes more than a habit for you.
Is digging your nails in the skin or scratching intentionally really self injury/harming yourself?
It really depends on the reason you are doing it. If you have an itch then scratching is not self harm, even if it does draw blood. As many people scratch till they bleed in order to stop the itch. However if you are scratching when there is no itch and as a way to deal with difficult emotions it is still considered self harm. As you are hurting yourself in some way in order to 'cope'. It may seem trivial compared to actually cutting yourself, however it does not actually matter how superficial/deep a cut/scratch may be. That has no baring on how the person is feeling. I was/am a self harmer. I started off by scratching and went to cutting. Now I rarely do it, when I do I tend to scratch and I recognise that as self harm.
Is scratching myself self-harm?
Ok so starting this year my self confidence has been really going down, and I pick on myself a lot. Like one day I think I'm too fat, the next day I think I'm too skinny. Now I'm starting to scratch and pinch myself really hard when I think of something stupid I said earlier or when I messed up or when I look back and think of how dumb I looked/how I look at the time. Then the those thoughts stay in my head, I can't let it go, it keeps popping up and I can't stop thinking about it. Then I scratch myself more(like on my upper legs and arms, and if I'm around people I put my hands on my hips and dig my nails into myself). I just need to know if this is considered self-harm and if you think it could get worse.
Why do i scratch myself when i get mad/sad?
Usually when i get angry or sad & start crying i will start scratching my legs where its easier to scratch & easier to hide. I self harm since i was 11 years old. I dont do it for attention, i've NEVER told anyone its too hard, & i feel ashamed. Also i hit myself in the head or thighs, & start crying. Do i have problems??? O.o i want to get checked up but i doubt my parents would want to. Anyways do you guys know ? Please answer & thanks.
When I get really angry I scratch myself?
Is this serious? I've never seen it as serious? When I get really angry I scratch my arms, sometimes until they bleed a little but not much. I sometimes even get a knife or scissors and scratch across as hard as I can (Of course I don't go deep as I actually hate pain) Also when I'm really angry I'll punch myself in the head and scratch at my face. It's just an automatic thing I do when I'm angry, it's like I can't control myself but it kind of helps me calm down. I also remember when I was little I also used to spray perfume in/around my eyes. (If that has anything to do with this) So yeah, is this something I should be worried about? Or is it normal to do something like this when you're angry.
How do I care for self harm cuts and scratches?
clean them very frequently with water. when you are showering rub body wash on your skin directly above your cuts so that when the water washes over them the soap cleans them.use hydrogen peroxide too. you can buy this at any drug store such as CVS. make sure to use this when your cuts show any signs of infection (redness around them, swelling, extra pain) in order to eliminate this. make sure to dry your cuts completely after using hydrogen peroxide especially if you are then covering them with bandages.for the first days after you self harm always keep your cuts covered with bandages. put neosporin on the bandage so it’ll end up on your cut. once your cuts begin to heal, you can stop using bandages. if your cuts appear relatively wet, do not bandage. if they appear excessively dry, put a bandage with Neosporin on it to help.if your cuts are incredibly deep, go to the ER to get stitches. if that’s not possible, go to a drug store and buy butterfly stitches because that can help it not scar as badly.good luck :)
When I'm upset I scratch my arm to make myself feel better?
Yes, this is classed as self-harm and it sounds like you're using it as a coping mechanism. When you feel angry or sad, talk to someone about it, let your emotions out, scream into a pillow? Don't lock them up, they're part of you :) Just please don't struggle through this alone. When you self harm it's because you are trying to cope with emotional pain. Distract yourself by sitting on your hands, or thinking of something else, or putting on a song that suggests how you feel. Good luck :)