Why do people self-harm? - eviltoast

I don’t really understand why people do it. Not like “they’re doing it because they are depressed and feel bad”, I had depression myself but never had a call to injure myself. I hate pain, and doing something painful to myself while I’m already feeling bad doesn’t really sound appealing. So I don’t quite get what self-harm gives people so they keep doing it.

Like, is it a way to “ground” yourself and stop dissociating, or is it “just to feel anything at all”, or as a “punishment”, or something else?

  • Sean@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    From a medical point of view, self-harming, or “cutting”, releases endorphins. It can be a very powerful and addictive habit that is hard to break.

    • Turkey_Titty_city@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      yep. i practiced self-harming as a teen.

      it felt good. it was a way to cope with extremely negative and suicidal emotions, vs drugs.

      there isn’t much more to it than that.