*Trigger Warning: Themes of Self Harm and Suicide

NSSI includes behaviours like cutting, burning and hitting (oneself) which are often not carried out with the intention of inflicting a fatal wound or die by suicide, nor are an unintentional consequence of some other behaviour (substance abuse).

Some research suggests that the motivation behind this behaviour may be the perception of the act being a way to let out emotional pressure or numbing the emotional pain by distracting their mind to the physical pain. It may even be a form of self-imposed punishment for perceived faults. While there is no suicidal intent at the core of this behaviour, certain studies suggest that NSSI can be a risk factor to attempting #suicide at a later date.

There is a lot of stigma & dismissal related to NSSI by trivialising it to immature, attention seeking behaviour. We need to understand that the person is responding to a lot of pain and distress and may not know or have healthy coping strategies.

The person can benefit from support, care and access to learning healthy coping styles and mechanisms. If you know anyone who is struggling with this, please reach out for therapeutic support. Access resources on our webpage and in bio.