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Why do people do it?

People self-harm for a lot of reasons. Sometimes physical pain is often easier to deal with than emotional pain, so many people who self-harm describe it as way to deal with inner pain.

Some people self-harm:

    • to help them to relax
    • to provide temporary relief from painful emotions
    • to convert feelings into something physical that they feel is easier to heal
    • to punish themselves
    • to communicate what they are feeling without speaking
    • to physically feel something, when they are emotionally “numb”
    • to deal with stress
    • to focus
    • to feel like they’re in control of something in their life
    • to experience an adrenaline rush or euphoria