Is this self-harm? thread.

[hocus pocus]

Users tend to ask us if what they are doing is considered self-harm and I do like the "is this self-harm?" sticky but I was wondering if we could do something more with it.


I was thinking some kind of a resource, like up on the top of the page near the safety zone but there is a lot there and I don't want to overwhelm that area. Then I thought of turning it into an article but I also like having it easily accessible as a sticky in the self-harm forum.

What do you guys think? If we do something with it, do you think we could leave it as a sticky as well or would that be too repetitive? What do you think we could do with the sticky (if anything at all)?

[MsNobleEleanor]

While I've never read that sticky before. Reading it now, I have noticed a few sentences that don't make sense or flow well. I think we could fix that part up a little bit.

I do think turning it into an article would be helpful. I think keeping the sticky, fix it up a little bit, once the article is done to add it in with the sticky. I don't think that would overwhelm users because sometimes we learn differently (some prefer articles over threads).

I was thinking it could fit in TeenHelp Safety Zone. Where we could add in first aid kit, I know there is an article on that, how to care for self-harm, what to do, etc. it could be really helpful to have that information available.

[obelus]

I think the topic itself might be a little too specific to include with the Hotlines, Safety Zone, and Alternatives. If we did include it in that way, would there be other topics to include? For instance, there's the [What is an addictive behaviour?] sticky in the Addictive Behaviours forum. I like the idea of including it within the Safety Zone itself, but then there's still the thought of if what else should/n't be included. Not sure if that makes sense, but I don't mind clarifying if anyone needs.

The current sticky is kind of a quasi-article in a way, so I think expanding it into a full article would be a good idea and the article itself could replace the current sticky? This way it'd be an article while still being easily accessible?


I'm a little confused about your suggestion, Chantal. Which, that can easily just be on my part. Is your suggestion to kind of reword the sticky itself, have an actual article written, and then combine them? I think I'm just confused because they'd contain a lot of the same information and it'd be a bit redundant. They'd be structured in a similar way as well. Please correct me if I'm wrong, though. It's been a long day.

I also want to mention that first aid information is currently included in the Safety Zone under the "Currently in a crisis" section. It links to [this] thread, which is honestly in the same boat as the "Is this self-harm?" thread.

My thought is it would work in the safety zone but we could include other stickies there as Oliver suggested. It could be a compilation of the most asked questions such as 'does this count as self harm', 'what is addictive behavior' and maybe one that details how one can get pregnant since we are always being asked if pregnancy is possible if xyz happened. There are actually a ton of stickies we could turn into resources. We might have to edit/reword some though.

I'll have more time to compile my thoughts later but I think that updating some of the stickies, such as this one, could be a really good idea.

[MsNobleEleanor]

Originally Posted by énouement

I'm a little confused about your suggestion, Chantal. Which, that can easily just be on my part. Is your suggestion to kind of reword the sticky itself, have an actual article written, and then combine them? I think I'm just confused because they'd contain a lot of the same information and it'd be a bit redundant. They'd be structured in a similar way as well. Please correct me if I'm wrong, though. It's been a long day.

I was thinking that the sticky is a brief general explanation of "Is this self-harm?", however, the current sticky I think would benefit from editing a little bit. Not reword it, but add to it so it flows a bit better.

An article on it would be more in-depth and have more information than the sticky. In the sticky, we could include that article so users are able to read more about it.

An article vs. sticky, the difference would be that an article would provide more in-depth information whereas the sticky it's brief and to the point.


I really like your ideas Jenna on FAQs for the Safety Zone on those topics. I think it would fit really well there.

[¯|_(ツ)_|¯]

An article vs. sticky, the difference would be that an article would provide more in-depth information whereas the sticky it's brief and to the point.

I like this. We can link to the article at the end of the sticky for those who want more information.

[obelus]

Originally Posted by MsNobleEleanor

I was thinking that the sticky is a brief general explanation of "Is this self-harm?", however, the current sticky I think would benefit from editing a little bit. Not reword it, but add to it so it flows a bit better.

An article on it would be more in-depth and have more information than the sticky. In the sticky, we could include that article so users are able to read more about it.

An article vs. sticky, the difference would be that an article would provide more in-depth information whereas the sticky it's brief and to the point.

Thank you so much for clarifying. This makes much more sense than what my brain was attempting to interpret it as. I definitely agree that users have different needs in regard to how they learn things (or really just how much information they really want, to be honest) because a wall of text, as some articles can be, can be intimidating for various reasons. So, a short and to the point version is a very good idea. I agree with Dez on including a link to the full article in the thread as well.

[hocus pocus]

Thanks for getting back so fast! You are all great.

I do like the idea of editing the sticky and then turning it into an article and linking the article into the sticky. That will suit users who learn differently and keep the information easily accessible.

Oliver brought up an awesome point. I hadn't thought of the question as to what other stickies to include or not include if we include this in the safety zone. I do think it would be cool, if we eventually compiled a list of common FAQs from different forums and did something with that. Kind of like what Jenna mentioned.

I want to message Rob and get him to view this as well to see what he thinks.

So, should we start editing the sticky for now and then thinking about doing an in depth article? Do you want to do it as a group, or are there any volunteers to suggest some edits first? There are tons of stickies available so maybe we can take a look at them over the next few months.

[obelus]

I just want to mention that I compiled a list of, what I think is, all the stickies. I also listed some relevant articles that I found so far because some stickies already have an article that explains the topic. I may have missed some, but I will let you guys check as well. I'm not currently on my laptop, so I can post the list when I can get back home. Would this be better in its own thread?

[hocus pocus]

I think it might help for the future if it has its own thread. Maybe I can make the thread about stickies a sticky.

[hocus pocus]

Who would like to start editing/working on the is this self-harm sticky with me?

[hocus pocus]

So here is is. Here are my thoughts right off the bat:

• Take the first person out of the first part.
• Change the definition, maybe make it our own and adding more to it (maybe removing the part about how it leaves marks for more than a few minutes).
• Expand the list a little bit and add to a method if needed, like a description.
• Link to other helpful areas.

Many people ask "Is this self harm?" with various scenarios they're dealing with on a daily basis. I hope to make this clear what self harm is, and what is considered self harm, and what's not.

The definition of self harm is:
"Self-injury, self-inflicted violence, self-injurious behavior or self-mutilation is defined as a deliberate, intentional injury to one’s own body that causes tissue damage or leaves marks for more than a few minutes which is done to cope with an overwhelming or distressing situation."

Anything you do to physically hurt yourself in order help yourself cope with a situation is self harm.

Things considered self harm:
-Cutting
-Burning
-Branding (Taking hot objects and putting them on your skin)
-Picking at your skin
-Scratching
-Taking off scabs/Picking at old wounds
-Pulling out hair
-Hitting
-Bone breaking
-Biting
-Multiple piercings/tattoos (Can be self harm if done for the pain)
-Drinking harmful chemicals (Just to harm body)
-Smoking/drugs (Just to harm body)

And this isn't even a full list. If you are doing any of those things, you should ask yourself if you're doing it just for the pain, or to make yourself feel better. If you are, it's probably self harm.

If you do find something you're doing is self harming, you should see a professional, such as a doctor, a therapist, a psychiatrist, or someone similar who can help you. People will understand, though not everyone will, professionals are trained to deal with situations like yours. They're there to help.

Source:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/self_injury.htm

I like the idea of expanding on what counts. I think one thing we could, possibly, include it that purging/starving oneself is a form of self harm. I know I used to do both for various reasons and I've seen some threads where people ask if purging/starving is self harm.



I also agree with making the definition our own and taking out the part that mentions leaving marks. The main reason for this is that not all self harm leaves marks and for a lot of people who first start self harming they don't leave marks. I know I used to think my self harm wasn't self harm because it didn't leave any marks.


I was taking a while to respond to this to see if I could come up with any other suggestions but you've covered a lot of the points that I would have.

[hocus pocus]

There are some rough ideas here, any thoughts on them?

Many people ask "Is this self harm?" with various scenarios they're dealing with on a daily basis. I hope to make this clear what self harm is, and what is considered self harm, and what's not. [Might need more of an intro.]

The definition of self harm is:
"Self-injury, self-inflicted violence, self-injurious behavior or self-mutilation is defined as a deliberate, intentional injury to one’s own body that causes tissue damage or leaves marks for more than a few minutes which is done to cope with an overwhelming or distressing situation." [I think we should rewrite this or use what is down below.]

Anything you do to physically hurt yourself in order help yourself cope with a situation is self harm. [I really want to put emphasis on this because there are a lot of little things people do for self-harm (which probably should not be mentioned here) that are less common so people don't think it is self-harm. I know underlining text is not typically done in an article but regardless of how we format it, that may be something to consider. I also want to mention that self-harm is a coping skill. Not a good one, but that is essentially what it is.]

Things considered self harm:
-Cutting
-Burning
-Branding (Taking hot objects and putting them on your skin)
-Bruising

-Picking at your skin
-Scratching
-Taking off scabs/Picking at old wounds
-Pulling out hair
-Hitting
-Bone breaking
-Biting
-Multiple piercings/tattoos (Can be self harm if done for the pain)
-Drinking harmful chemicals (Just to harm body)
-Smoking/drugs (Just to harm body)
-Eating behaviors [There's another phrase for this but my mind doesn't know what it is right now.]
-Sexual self-harm [Might need to expand on this]
[I don't know if I like the bullet point format here. Thoughts on that? Maybe we could break it down with headings or something.]


And this isn't even a full list. If you are doing any of those things, you should ask yourself if you're doing it just for the pain, or to make yourself feel better. If you are, it's probably self harm.

If you do find something you're doing is self harming, you should see a professional, such as a doctor, a therapist, a psychiatrist, or someone similar who can help you. People will understand, though not everyone will, professionals are trained to deal with situations like yours. They're there to help.

Source:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/self_injury.htm



[Things to link to Off the top of my head, going to need to look for more]
Safety zone/alternatives, hotlines, different articles (there is a sexual self-harm one etc]

I think expanding on the intro would be good. I can try and think of some ways to expand over the weekend. My writing 'brain' hasn't been working well lately so you might be able to think something up sooner than me.

"Self-injury, self-inflicted violence, self-injurious behavior or self-mutilation is defined as a deliberate, intentional injury to one’s own body that causes tissue damage or leaves marks for more than a few minutes which is done to cope with an overwhelming or distressing situation." [I think we should rewrite this or use what is down below.]

Anything you do to physically hurt yourself in order help yourself cope with a situation is self harm.

Would it be possible to rewrite what you have in red and incorporate it with the 'anything you do to physically hurt yourself' portion. If we expand/rewrite the red we might be able to do it in a way where we emphasize that self harm is anything that one does to physically hurt themselves. I think that is important and I agree we can't expand on what those things are but I think we could probably come up with a way to emphasize it and expand without giving ideas.





I think making headings/breaking down the things considered self harm could be good. Maybe expand on some parts. I don't know how to expand as we don't want to give ideas.



I agree with the links you want to include. There might be more too. I can try and look through the articles this weekend. See what I come up with and share the.

[hocus pocus]

Thanks for looking this over. I agree with rewriting/changing the red. I can go through and look for some links as well.

As for expanding, I think we could do a brief description for those that warrant it (sexual self harm might need to be more specific, for example, than cutting would be.)

I want to get to this tomorrow or at least part of it, but if not tomorrow it will probably be sometime at the end of the week or the weekend. My school schedule takes over the middle three days of the week.

[hocus pocus]

Here are the changes, they are all in green. My thoughts are making this the article (since it is a little expanded) and using the first few paragraphs as well as a bullet point list of self-harm methods and maybe some links as the sticky (so we'd remove the expansion of the self-harm methods). Depending on when this is finished and what else looks ready, we may be able to publish this in October.


For some reason the quoting got screwed up.

Many people ask "Is this self-harm?" with regard to something they've been experiencing. Self-harm can be a broad topic, so the following information may help to condense it.

The definition of self-harm

Self-harm is when you do something with the intent to harm yourself. Self-harm may be not always be a conscious choice. For instance, absentmindedly ripping hair out of your head can be considered self-harm, even if you're not entirely aware that you are doing it.

While some methods of self-harm are more common than others, anything you do to yourself with the intention of harm is self-harm. Not all of the methods are listed below; this is to prevent possibly giving people ideas on additional ways to harm themselves.

Remember that self-harm is a coping skill. It is not a positive coping skill, but it is a way to cope with how you're feeling. Choosing a coping skill at all, even if it isn't always healthy, is a good sign. For many, self-harm is an alternative to suicide.

What is considered self-harm?

Cutting, scratching,and burning are fairly common methods of self-harm. Scratching tends to occur when the surface of the skin is mostly intact, while cutting breaks the skin. Biting tends to stay at the surface of the skin as well, but can also penetrate and cause more harm. Burns are typically self-explanatory, but should be taken seriously due to the high risk of infection. Branding, although not as common, occurs when a hot object is placed onto the skin.

Hitting yourself, or using force to cause bruising or the breaking of your bones is also self-harm. Bruising or breaking bones is not as common but it is still sometimes seen as a self-harm method.

Hair pulling, scab picking, or picking at your skin is self-harm. Hair pulling is most commonly done on the head, but can be done in other areas. Scab picking can cause scarring or infection if the wound is not given time to heal.

Though sometimes overlooked, self-harm through unhealthy eating patterns such as restricting, binging, or purging is common. Unhealthy eating behaviors often cause damage to the body (such as the teeth).

Something not commonly thought of as self-harm includes sexual self-harm. Sexual self-harm might include relationships that you do not want to be in, or that are harmful. It can also include doing things to yourself, such as genital mutilation or masturbating excessively, to cause pain, or when you do not really want to.


Multiple piercings or tattoos can be done not for the fashion or meaning behind them, but for the pain. They can be considered self-harm when they are done for the pain.

Abusing alcohol or drugs can sometimes be done for self-harm, especially because excessive use (or non-excessive depending on the drug) can harm the body. Harming yourself with chemicals that are not intended to be ingested or are otherwise harmful to the body is also self-harm.

If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm, whether it is mentioned above or not, try to seek help in whatever way you are able to. Sometimes using a hotline, talking to a friend, or journaling can make a world of difference.

The following links can be used to learn more about self-harm and the different types; they may also serve as a way to get help (e.g. hotlines in your country).

Additional information
[I will make a separate post with links so that people can add to it before putting them in here.]

[Halcyon]

This looks really good, Cassie. Thank you for writing this.


Many people ask "Is this self-harm?" with regard to something they've been experiencing. Self-harm can be a broad topic, so the following information may help to condense it.

The definition of self-harm

Self-harm is when you do something with the intent to harm yourself. Self-harm may be not always be a conscious choice. For instance, absentmindedly ripping hair out of your head can be considered self-harm, even if you're not entirely aware that you are doing it.

While some methods of self-harm are more common than others, anything you do to yourself with the intention of harm intentionally hurt yourself is self-harm. Not all of the methods are listed below; this is to prevent possibly giving people ideas on additional ways to harm themselves.

Remember that self-harm is a coping skill. It is not a positive coping skill, but it is a way to cope with how you're feeling. Choosing a coping skill at all, even if it isn't always healthy, is a good sign. For many, self-harm is an alternative to suicide.

What is considered self-harm?

Cutting, scratching, and burning are fairly common methods of self-harm. Scratching tends to occur when the surface of the skin is mostly intact, while cutting breaks the skin. Biting tends to stay at the surface of the skin as well, but can also penetrate and cause more harm. Burns are typically self-explanatory, but should be taken seriously due to the high risk of infection. Branding, although not as common, occurs when a hot object is placed onto the skin.

Hitting yourself, or using force to cause bruising or the breaking of your bones is also self-harm. Bruising or breaking bones is not as common but it is still sometimes seen as a self-harm method.

Hair pulling, scab picking, or picking at your skin is self-harm. Hair pulling is most commonly done on the head, but can be done in other areas. Scab picking can cause scarring or infection if the wound is not given time to heal.

Though sometimes overlooked, self-harm through unhealthy eating patterns such as restricting, binging, or purging is common. Unhealthy eating behaviors often cause damage to the body (such as the teeth).

Something not commonly thought of as self-harm includes sexual self-harm. Sexual self-harm might include relationships that you do not want to be in, or that are harmful. It can also include doing things to yourself, such as genital mutilation or masturbating excessively, to cause pain, or when you do not really want to.

Multiple piercings or tattoos can be done not for the fashion or meaning behind them, but for the pain. They can be considered self-harm when they are done for the pain.

Abusing alcohol or drugs can sometimes be done for self-harm, especially because excessive use (or non-excessive depending on the drug) can harm the body. Harming yourself with chemicals that are not intended to be ingested or are otherwise harmful to the body is also self-harm.

If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm, whether it is mentioned above or not, try to seek help in whatever way you are able to. Sometimes using a hotline, talking to a friend, or journaling can make a world of difference.

The following links can be used to learn more about self-harm and the different types; they may also serve as a way to get help (e.g. hotlines in your country).

Additional information
[I will make a separate post with links so that people can add to it before putting them in here.]

[hocus pocus]

Here are some links I found. I did look at some other sections but none in particular jumped out at me. Let me know if there are any you want to add.

Sexual self-harm
Self-harm: the road to recovery
Debunking myths of self harm
Discussing self-harm with a loved one

Hotlines
Safety Zone
Alternatives

I don't really have anything to add. I think the links you have would work quite well with this though. I think a lot of our users will benefit from this.

[hocus pocus]

Thanks for the input, guys. I am looking to publish this in October with the other articles, and I can change the sticky around then. Here is the final draft.

Is this self-harm?
By the Resources Team

Many people ask "Is this self-harm?" with regard to something they've been experiencing. Self-harm can be a broad topic, so the following information may help to condense it.

The definition of self-harm

Self-harm is when you do something with the intent to harm yourself. Self-harm may not always be a conscious choice. For instance, absentmindedly ripping hair out of your head can be considered self-harm, even if you're not entirely aware that you are doing it.

While some methods of self-harm are more common than others, anything you do to intentionally hurt yourself is self-harm. Not all of the methods are listed below; this is to prevent possibly giving people ideas on additional ways to harm themselves.

Remember that self-harm is a coping skill. It is not a positive coping skill, but it is a way to cope with how you're feeling. Choosing a coping skill at all, even if it isn't always healthy, is a good sign. For many, self-harm is an alternative to suicide.

What is considered self-harm?

Cutting, scratching, and burning are fairly common methods of self-harm. Scratching tends to occur when the surface of the skin is mostly intact, while cutting breaks the skin. Biting tends to stay at the surface of the skin as well, but can also penetrate and cause more harm. Burns are typically self-explanatory, but should be taken seriously due to the high risk of infection. Branding, although not as common, occurs when a hot object is placed onto the skin.

Hitting yourself, or using force to cause bruising or the breaking of your bones is also self-harm. Bruising or breaking bones is not as common but it is still sometimes seen as a self-harm method.

Hair pulling, scab picking, or picking at your skin is self-harm. Hair pulling is most commonly done on the head, but can be done in other areas. Scab picking can cause scarring or infection if the wound is not given time to heal.

Though sometimes overlooked, self-harm through unhealthy eating patterns such as restricting, binging, or purging is common. Unhealthy eating behaviors often cause damage to the body (such as the teeth).

Something not commonly thought of as self-harm includes sexual self-harm. Sexual self-harm might include relationships that you do not want to be in, or that are harmful. It can also include doing things to yourself, such as genital mutilation or masturbating excessively, to cause pain, or when you do not really want to.

Multiple piercings or tattoos can be done not for the fashion or meaning behind them, but for the pain. They can be considered self-harm when they are done for the pain.

Abusing alcohol or drugs can sometimes be done for self-harm, especially because excessive use (or non-excessive depending on the drug) can harm the body. Harming yourself with chemicals that are not intended to be ingested or are otherwise harmful to the body is also self-harm.

If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm, whether it is mentioned above or not, try to seek help in whatever way you are able to. Sometimes using a hotline, talking to a friend, or journaling can make a world of difference.

The following links can be used to learn more about self-harm and the different types; they may also serve as a way to get help (e.g. hotlines in your country).


Crisis links
Safety Zone
Hotlines
Alternatives

Other links
Self-harm: the road to recovery
Debunking myths of self harm
Discussing self-harm with a loved one
Sexual self-harm

[hocus pocus]

This has been published as an article and the edited sticky can be found here. I am going to close this thread, but if you have any comments or concerns feel free to have me reopen it.