self-harm

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quite a sensitive subject but at the age of 20 iv been suffering quietly for a long time now which through my youth has been put down to adhd, but as iv got older its got worse and worse and the doctors and councellor mentioned and decided to stay with, after countless atempts, aspergers. im pretty sceptical of this diagnosis as it was only 6 months ago when i was told i was bipolar and 9 months was told it could be schizophrenia as my uncle is,( all 3 being very different made me confused.) but aspergers seems to make more sense and im accepting it better than before. what i was wondering if self-harm is typical of aspergers, iv been doing it for years and without sounding stupid, i have no rel intention to stop, it allows me to feel better at extreme low points and to be honest i do enjoy it. does ayone else here self-harm and if so do u feel a need to stop?? also if anyone believes strongly that i should stop i would be very interested to hear their views,

thanks for reading, david

I've done it before to express remorse over certain things.

I don't think you should hurt yourself. Now, its your life, so, I can only offer words on a computer screen for you. There are other methods of releasing tension, it just takes time to learn (as you know one way).

I've hit myself, before, but I tend to stay away from that, these days, as I've found jesus (ok, not jesus, I just started meditating and reflecting on my life more (if anything, I found the universe as I dont believe in jesus beyond the man)). I believe the anger is what is being dealt with during this time and I find myself 'laughing' more instead of becoming angrier ("Buddhist Monks" are known for their sense of humour - they can laugh at lifes as*hole moments). Basically, I slowed down the amount of times I become angry and have learned to control it better without really trying. Now, its just natural that things don't bother me as much and I see more 'brighter sides' of life.

Again, just my feeble experience. When would be a time or experience you'd hurt yourself?

Not sure what kind of harm that you inflict on yourself. I know that I still brutalize myself when I go out dancing (to the point of probably breaking bones). I used to punch myself fairly hard. Some people cut. It's not great if you're doing any permenant damage though. Something like a punching bag, or pushing yourself in excersize might be a better choice.

its more through anger and frustration, like if someone doesnt understand what im trying to get across to the point where i cant look at them, or if i dont understand someones choices, or if i understand them but i believe they are for the wrong reasons. the time i was doing it most was when i was with my ex and i thought that if i didnt release my anger i might of hurt her, i never did but i was petrified of doing it. i cut my arms alot, my right arm has over 15 scars and i have around 5 on my chest, i also have broken my knuckles a few times and have cuts on my knuckles, its never lasting damage though, i mean a few scars arnt the end of the world and id prefer to live witht hat than the fact i hit my girlfriend

I know where you're coming from. I used to give in to my anger on others. Do you think that something like a punching bag would work? The body can only take so much harm, and you're stuck with yours for a while.

I cut from 16 to 26 and then made a decision to stop.It wasnt as easy as that....I was also quitting drinking and the process took about 10 months of very intense interspection and life changes.

So,if your asking if aspies cut....some do.I dont think it is any more common then in general population.

They say that depression is anger turned inwards,I also have anger that I dont think is OK to take out on other people,cutting is preferable but there are some other coping mechanisms that you might want to consider.I have learned to live with the scars but I would prefer that they not be there......I really dont like strangers seeing them,they are to personal and it makes me feel naked sometimes to have them so visable.(yet,I refuse to wear long sleeve shirts when it is hot,so I guess it's a matter of which is worse...being hot or feeling like I am giving strangers to much information).

It could be that cutting saved me from killing myself....it does let some of the pressure out.It could be that fantasising about suicide helped me face things that I was afraid of doing because I might fail.....(I caan always kill myself,became a mantra)We each have to find ways to cope,some are less destructive then others....keep evolving your methods of coping until you feel satisfied that gain out weighs cost.

I have my fair share of scars... But it was upsetting too many people and i became very self-concious of the scarring in public. I've pretty much stopped as I have people I can turn to now but there are occasions when things get that bad... VERY rare now though. Like Krex, I feel like it's a personal part of me that people shouldn't see, and feel like there are people always noticing it...

Head banging at preshool was the worst and still bare the scars. I still contemplate banging my head.
In my 20's I burnt my arms with cigarettes, which is quite unusual because I do not smoke.

I love punching myself in the face when I feel like I've messed up somehow. It's the true key to happiness. I think we could all get together and teach each other self-harming methods. We'll play part in a dangerous social experiment and inflate our intellectual egos with in depth understanding of the cosmic drama of which we are all a part. Can you imagine how amazing this could be? God, infinite possibilities, and reality as a whole will be our subjects of choice. Together we'll harmonize the entire human race to play an experimental confusion-core musical which we, together, created.

I have/am self harming and have been doing it nearly 6 years know.

I have over 100 scars all over my body and i am not poud of them. For me its a form of elief and a form of self punishment.
umm

Self harming (para-suicidal behaviour) is a particularly dangerous activity. It prepares the individual for the idea of suicide through a step-by-step approach and as such it should be fought.
I know that the behaviours themselves can give a form of release and this is part of the problem. Anyone self-harming should seek help and understanding - not just professional but from those around them (I know that they are not always helpful but the difference when they are in great).

I was a cutter in the past and even now the idea of cutting has its glamour. I won't go back but I can still understand the need to cut.

For a great book on youth suicide (which also deals with self-harm) see Kate Hill's excellent book "The Long Sleep".

Yes, I have self-harmed, quite severely at times. I think it is a form of stimming.

The worst self-harm I did occurred between ages 12-22. I stopped cutting with an implement at that point, but I still sometimes scratch myself just with my fingernails, but it's all very minor compared to what I used to do.

I began self-harming when I was young and still do in many different ways.

I'm not recommending it, but I usually do it because I like the way it feels. I don't feel much of the pain/pleasure of touch physically, so it takes more to stimulate that sense.

Sometimes I do it out of anger or frustration too, though. It all depends.

I used to cut myself quite a lot over a period of about 2 years (early 20s) though I did it once or twice when I was 14 ish too. Had some additional problems during the bad times and still do to some extent, not eating properly, suicidal thoughts etc etc. I think self injury was a coping mechanism though. Looking back I probably did some things when I was young too. I think we need to be careful in discussing this topic, I don't think it's suitable to get too graphic or share methods or too many specifics as some people may get 'triggered' easily.

Astilius, I'm a little sceptical about your linking it suicide, though it may be true in some cases (along with other factors) that seems a little too textbook to me.

I used to harm myself a lot, sometimes I get sad when I look at my scars as I rember how I felt when I did them. I still burn myself on occations but I want to stop this type of behaviour because in the long run it makes me feel worse.