h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There is a huge amount of people that self harm, but I must say that I don't believe that immediately resorting to psychiatric evaluation is a tad extreme. Like so many others, it was something that I inflicted upon myself as a teenager, and looking at it objectively several years later, it was as a result of my state of mind that I commited self harm. It was a direct cause of my upbringing that coalesced my thought patterns into what they were at the time, and it was only as a result of being placed in a loving family environment that caused me to break the cycle. In the boarding school system, children are given the best education money can buy. But my school, although high in all the tables, had three times the national average for teenage suicide, and I knew of many who commited acts of self harm. If there are 40 children, ranging in age from 10-18, and only one housemaster/mistress, then there is going to be a serious shortcoming in the development of these children. Although the school had an output of the biggest and brightest people in the community, a vast majority of them had emotioanl problems, some of which became psychiatric issues, some of which were resolved.
The causes for self harm in this environment were feelings of isolation, inability to compete, low self-esteem, dislike of where or what you were as an individual, or quite simple cries for help, for attention or for recognition of your status as an individual. To commit self harm, it is an action over which you have control, when you are operating in a world where you feel that you have none. It is this statement of control that needs to be addressed.
At this stage, I feel I should apologise if anyone dislikes my pretensions. However, I only know that which I have experienced, and it is therefore only this that I can accurately talk about. But I digress. If you can identify with the descriptions of the feelings I went through, perhaps this can help in the journey towards identifying the cause of the problem.
It is a problem. It isn't normal to do these things. It is very common, and you are certainly not alone in doing it. But I implore you to look at why you are doing it, to talk someone who can provide support, and who you ultimately know WILL provide support, because there is surely nothing worse than explaining your actions to an unfeeling person who really couldn't care, and who won't instigate any action to support you.

Excellant post. There are a few people I have run acrossed here that have struggled with this or are doing so now.

I am glad you efforted to reach out to others on this topic.
Always good to see compassionate new reaserchers appear!
Welcome to h2g2

I would definitely second the thing about talking to people. I'm going through a period in my life where I'm unhappy at the moment and there's so much going on in my life that I feel I can't control. When everything's really spiraling out of control, I have self-harmed. I worked out that I'm always alone and in my room when I self-harm and its usually late at night. The first step was to talk to friends, tell them what was going on and ask for their help. This took a lot of nerve to do, but, somewhat to my suprise, they didn't condemn or judge - though they were quite shocked and upset. They offered, based on where and when I self-harm, for me to come and sit in their rooms, or to come and keep me company,whatever the time of day, if I felt that was the only alternative to self-harm. It hasn't stopped me, but it has helped a lot - I've done it less and the knowledge that there is an alternative that I can choose to use is in itself a measure of control.

I know this is only my personal experience, but i would say; if you self-harm don't assume that no one will be willing to help. Choose who you talk to, but don't be afraid to admit you're unhappy and in pain - if you're anything like me, you're going to need all the support you can get.