We've all heard about self harm but a lot of people assume it's limited to teenagers, usually girls. It tends to be seen as teen angst, a reaction to hormones. People imagine teenage girls cutting themselves. But it's important to remember that it can affect adults too.
For those of you who might not know, self harm is the act of causing intentional harm to oneself usually through cutting or burning. In teenagers, it can be the result of confusion, depression and a whole host of other things. It is often used as a coping mechanism to deal with emotional difficulties.
What about adults? Why do they turn to self harm? Well, it could be the case that they began self harming when they were a teenager and have been unable to find a better way of coping. Self harm can often become somewhat addictive. It may be a symptom of a mental illness such as borderline personality disorder or acting on voices from psychosis. It could be a result of some trauma or painful life event.
It's difficult to explain what could make someone hurt themselves in this way, it's not easy to explain the motivation sometimes. For me, it always provided relief in some way. It was my alternative to crying. The point is that it is not just teen angst. It can impact anyone at any point in their life.
An adult self harming does not mean that they're immature and it is often more difficult to treat. For adults, who have to get jobs, self harm scars can also be a big problem. It's just something worth remembering, mental illness and associated things like self harm do not discriminate. Any gender, age, race or class could be effected by it.
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