Trigger warning: this article discusses self-harm, and the content may be very triggering.
The act of self-harm is one of the many unhealthy ways to cope with mental issues that one may find difficulty in confronting and accepting. This act, unfortunately, is misunderstood and frowned upon. The stigmatization that occurs is detrimental to the mental health of already struggling individuals that self-harm. On top of the shame that they feel for doing this secretive act, there is more pressure and accusation on them coming from society. Self-harm as a process is clearly a public health issue that must be tackled, and individuals that engage in it all have different motivations that lead them to do this. Due to this diversity, in addition to the stigma surrounding it, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what prompts this behavior.
Self-Harm & Social Stigma
Self-harm is defined as the act of harming oneself intentionally through various detrimental acts such as cutting or burning. This act is a way of dealing with emotional trauma and psychological issues. However, self-harm is not to be mistaken for having suicidal tendencies and wanting to die. It could lead to suicidal tendencies and attempts, but self-harming in its essence does not mean wanting to commit suicide.
Many people are ignorant to the larger factors at play in this entire process. This leads to the stigmatization of individuals who self-harm to be seen as attention seekers or “abnormal” people. Moreover, in health institutions, patients that tend to self-harm are seen as “difficult”. Even more so, the misconception of what constitutes self-harm and what leads to it further perpetuates the belief that this behavior is a “waste of time”, as though these individuals are having fun with it.
Not only are their personalities falsified and insulted, but the physical marks on their bodies, a result of their self-harm, are not dealt with in the proper way. In other words, many people are unaware of how to deal with such sensitive topics and could possibly make a mistake in pointing out a physical mark that looks out of place. Additionally, these marks contribute to the stigma faced by individuals who self-harm. So, this leads to wanting to cover up, which further enforces embarrassment and guilt, and the cycle is repeated.
Instead of thinking about the hardships that this person might be going through, the social support that they might lack due to various factors, and so many other possible explanations, people just place these individuals in labelled boxes and isolate them from society as a result of their actions.
This discomfort that arises from seeing someone using an outlet as self-harming is something that is present in far too many people. We must all accept our bias and accept that we may not know much about this mechanism. This is the first step to changing our attitudes and perceptions.