Myth 4: If the injury is not severe, the person’s difficulties are not serious.
Some people may think that, if someone cuts themselves occasionally, it’s not a problem. It is true that some people do not require medical attention for their injuries, and some people never will. On the other hand, there is always a possibility that someone could hurt themselves more seriously than they intended to. This becomes more and more likely as people self-harm. It’s almost as if people develop a tolerance for self-harm- the more they self-harm, the more severe the self-harm has to be in order to reduce their negative emotions in that moment. Also, the more people self-harm, the more confident they get about doing it, and the less concerned they might be about injuries or damage. In addition, self-harm indicates that the person is struggling with something serious- generally, difficulties managing their emotions and coping effectively with stress (e.g., Gratz, 2001). Finally, a history of self-harm actually sets people up to be more likely to commit suicide later on (Joiner, 2002) – in fact, a history of self-harm is one of the best predictors of a suicide attempt. So, although the physical injury may not be immediately severe, the self-harm behaviour often indicates severe coping difficulties, and increases the likelihood of severe harm later on.
Tags: Self-harm myths
