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Deep Secrets: The Truth Behind Self-harm
Breaking the stigmas and stereotypes associated with self-harm.
Published on October 14, 2012 by Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, M.S., L.P.C. in Teen Angst

Emma sat in the bathroom, door locked with a razor in her hand, blood ran down her arm and dripped onto the floor. Tears streamed down her face as she knew she needed help, but she was afraid to askfor it. What would people think of her? Would they think she was crazy? Would they think she was just trying to get attention? Worse yet, would they think she was a freak? What would people say about her? These very thoughts kept Emma from asking for help. Emma wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and put on her over-sized grunge sweatshirt. She secretly tucked her blade back into its hiding spot.Reaching for the doorknob, Emma composed herself and walked out of the bathroom like nothing had ever happened.

Research reports one in twelve teens, mostly girls, self-harm and ten percent of them continue to deliberately harm themselves well into young adulthood. Many of these teens need help but are afraid to ask for it. One possible reason for their reluctance is the stigma associatedwith self-harming behavior and mental health.
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Stigmas/Stereotypes with mental health:

There are manystigmas and stereotypes associated with mental health. Most of the stereotypes are attributed to a lack of understanding. Oftentimes people fear something they aren’t sure of or knowledgeable about. Unfortunately, a lack of understanding and knowledge can lead to stigmas and stereotypes which can be very hurtful and canp revent those in need from seeking help. Stereotypes can lead todiscrimination, harassment, and low self-esteem.

In general physical illness is accepted more often because it’s easier to understand. People understand Diabetes, for example, because they understand that it’s an illness that calls for medical attention. They accept that. But if you go to see a counselor or psychiatrist oftentimes it’s viewed that something isn’t right with you. This could be fartherfrom the truth! Additionally, many times mental illness is seen as a personal weakness; of which it’s not.

Stigmas are hard to break because they get passed from one person to another. The key to changing a stereotype is to educate, educate, and then educate some more. The more people learn about self-harm and the possible reasons behind it the more they'll realize the distress it causes.Massive education needs to reach everyone throughout the country. It can start in the schools with educating today’s youth through community campaigns, ads, and documentaries.

From a clinical angle, if a self-injurer is working with a counseling professional then he/she can assist in helping his/her client cope with the stigmas associated with mental illness and work on ways to work throughthem. The last thing a client should have to worry about is how others view them on top of dealing with a mental illness. Family counseling can be done to help the client's family learn more about the self-injurious behavior.

There's nothing wrong with getting mental health help. In fact more people would benefit from seeking the help of a mental health professional. Perhaps if thesestigmas didn’t exist more people would be open to accepting and seeking the help that they need.

Self-harm is not a part of "being a teen":

The teenage years are oftentimes described as being turbulent. Teens are stereotyped as being moody, irritable, emotional, overly dramatic, attention seeking, and the list go on and on. It’s hard for many people to believe that teens have it so bad that...