False beliefs about self-harming behaviors
Thinking that non-suicidal self-harm is just a mechanism for teenagers to get attention, that it is always linked to some kind of irrational impulse, that it is the actions of people with mental health disorders or that in no case is it a problem that can become serious are some of the myths surrounding self-harming behaviors. False beliefs that can lead us to have prejudices and stigmatize people who self-harm.
Having knowledge about non-suicidal self-harm can help us move away from attitudes of rejection and intolerance and can contribute to its prevention and detection. We invite you to discover some of the most widespread false beliefs about self-harming behaviors:
- Self-harming behavior is an attempt to manipulate
FALSE. While some people have learned that the only way to get some kind of attention from others is to engage in behaviors such as non-suicidal self-harm, the fact that they self-harm does not mean they are manipulative. What it does mean is that they need some kind of attention and have not yet learned more adaptive strategies to help them get it.
- Non-suicidal self-harm is a pathological and irrational behavior
FALSE. Although self-harm may seem incomprehensible to some people, it always serves an important purpose at the time it occurs and is therefore not an irrational action. People who self-harm usually do so to feel better or to get immediate emotional relief, even though it may have negative long-term consequences.
Risk and protective factors for self-harm
- Self-harm is a warning sign of someone who wants to commit suicide.
FALSE . In principle, non-suicidal self-harm is a behavior that is done without autolytic intent, that is, without the intention of causing death. It is an unhealthy way of dealing with discomfort, due to the lack of healthier and more beneficial strategies. However, it is true that there are many studies that confirm that non-suicidal self-harm is a risk factor for suicide, that is, when a person self-harms frequently and severely, they are usually at risk of developing suicidal thoughts, which can lead them to make a suicide attempt.
- Self-harm implies having a mental disorder
FALSE . These behaviors do not always occur in the context of a mental disorder. In fact, they are increasingly observed in the non-clinical population and, in many cases, can be intervened from a non-specialized mental health field. In recent decades, there has been an increase in non-suicidal self-harm among boys and girls without any mental health diagnosis, as a way of expressing discomfort.
How can you avoid self-harm?
- Self-harm is not a problem; many people do it
FALSE. Many people may self-harm – you may even know someone who does – and they do not have any mental health disorder or problem, but self-harm is not a healthy way to deal with discomfort. Although it may seem to help in the short term, resorting to this strategy in the medium and long term can have very problematic consequences, and prevents the person from learning healthier strategies.
- It is necessary to resolve past problems to stop self-harming.
FALSE. There is no reason to think that you have to wait until you have overcome all the negative experiences of your past before you stop self-harming. In fact, stopping self-harming can help you start to resolve other problems.
- Non-suicidal self-harm is a way to get attention
FALSE. People self-harm for a variety of reasons, and many of them hide their self-harm so as not to show it. Even within the same person, the reasons and ways of self-harming can vary over time.
- Self-harm is a teenage thing
FALSE . No, non-suicidal self-harm as a coping mechanism for distress can be present at any age, but it is true that it is more common among adolescents and young adults.
Guides that guide you
- Self-harm has no short-term consequences
FALSE. The consequences of self-harm can occur both in the short term and in the long term, and the latter can be the most serious. In the short term, it is a behavior that can be stigmatizing, in addition to affecting social and interpersonal relationships, as it involves isolation, feelings of incomprehension, worry and discomfort in the social and family environment, etc. Among the long-term consequences, in addition to the chronicity of these immediate consequences, the fact that self-harm can become the usual way of dealing with discomfort, which prevents learning more adaptive strategies, and all that this implies, stands out. On the other hand, there is the risk that this self-harming behavior is associated with more serious problems, such as the development of ideas of death.
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