Is it normal to hit yourself

Taji Huang, PhD, you or your loved one can find answers and begin treatment that leads to progress and healing. Many patients and their families have questions about why they engage in scary self-injury behaviors like punching themselves and head banging. These questions and feelings are very common. You may not hear the people around you talk about hitting themselves, and other forms of self-harm, because mental health issues can feel embarrassing to talk about.

Therapy can help. There are many causes of self harming behaviors. They can stem from a variety of past experiences, current situations, and even some medical conditions. Those on the autism spectrum, for example, often engage in self injury behaviors, especially head banging. Other common causes can include:. Although it may feel like there is no end in sight and that you will keep hitting yourself forever, or cause long-term health effects, there is hope.

A licensed and experienced therapist can use cognitive behavioral therapies CBT , along with talk therapy, to help you overcome this debilitating aspect of your life.

CBT includes a range of therapies designed to help us understand our feelings and how we act on them. People suffering from personality disorders , may also be more likely to self-harm. If you self-harm, it is important to see a counsellor , psychiatrist or doctor. These healthcare professionals can help you find what's causing your urge to self-harm and work through your difficult thoughts. Early intervention can minimise damage caused by self-harm and decrease your risk of future episodes.

If you can, find supportive people who you feel comfortable with who you can talk to and will listen without judgement. If you have a friend or a family member you can trust, reach out to them to help you through this challenge. If you think someone you care for is engaging in self-harm, it is important that you offer them support and show them that you care about their wellbeing. Encourage them to get professional help and continue the conversation about their mental health by checking in with them to see how they are going.

If you need support, call Lifeline on 13 11 If you think you or another person's safety is at risk, call triple zero immediately. Someone self-harms and seeks medical assistance will be referred by their doctor to a psychologist who specialises in self-harm. A psychologist or mental health professional can help you to find the cause or trigger for your self-harm behaviour. They can also provide management tools to help you cope with any challenging thoughts and difficult feelings.

In many cases, people who self-harm also suffer from a mental health disorder. A psychologist can assess whether there are any underlying mental health conditions. Psychologists can provide management strategies and treatments that can help you feel better. There are different approaches to manage self-harm and mental illness. They include the following:. You may need treatment from a doctor for physical injuries after a self-harm episode.

In severe cases, you may be required to go to the emergency department. Techniques that work as distractions from self-harm help replace a very dangerous activity with a constructive or unharmful activity. Some of these techniques may feel uncomfortable or hurt, but they are not harmful or dangerous. Examples of distraction techniques include: holding ice cubes in your hands keeping a rubber band on your wrist — you can snap it against your wrist whenever you feel you need to drawing red lines in pen on your body, where you would otherwise cut yourself using exercise to release pressure and stress writing, drawing or scribbling on paper with a red pen doing meditation, such as practising relaxation or breathing techniques focusing your attention on something simple for some time — this may help your negative thoughts pass talking with someone you trust You may want to copy this list of distraction techniques onto a piece of paper or keep it on your phone, so you have it when you need it.

Self-harming behaviour has very serious complications, such as an increased risk of serious physical harm or accidental suicide. These complications can occur when a person causes more damage than they intended. Sometimes people who self-harm become suicidal or feel confined to a cycle of hopelessness, as self-harm is not a helpful way to deal with distressing emotions.

Other potential complications of self-harm include long-term scarring, infection, brain injury or organ damage. While it is very important to be there for your loved one, it is a lot to manage on your own. It is important to share this information with a mental health professional as soon as possible.

Reassure your loved one that you have their best interests in mind, you care about them and your intentions are to keep them safe. If you or someone you know are in immediate danger call triple zero immediately or go to the hospital emergency department. You can access support and more information via the following websites and helplines. It is important you reach out if you need to talk to someone:. If you would like to learn how to support people struggling with the challenges of self-harm and mental illness, consider doing a Mental Health First Aid course.

Self-harm includes anything you do to intentionally injure yourself. Eighty percent of self-harm involves cutting the skin with a sharp object. Some of the other ways include:. The relief is short lived, and is quickly followed by other feelings like shame and guilt.

The painful truth is that people who self-harm generally do so in secret. Keeping the secret from friends and family members is difficult and lonely.

Ask yourself who in your life makes you feel accepted and supported. It could be a friend, teacher, religious leader, counselor, or relative. Understanding why you cut or self-harm is a vital first step toward your recovery.

What feelings make you want to cut or hurt yourself? For me it is mostly anxiety and stress that causes me to self-harm. Self-harm is a way of dealing with feelings and difficult situations.