Is Self-Harming a Mental Disorder?

A common misconception is that self-harm is a type of mental disorder. Self-harm isn’t bound to any diagnosis; people with various mental conditions self-harm, and people without any also self-harm. Let’s get into some common FAQs to open up better conversations around mental disorders and self-harm. 

Let’s get things straight: what is a mental disorder?

• Mental disorders, also referred to as mental illnesses, are diagnosable conditions relating to your mental health. Like physical health, everyone has mental health. Your body can malfunction or just work differently to other peoples’, and so can your brain. 

Can anyone get a mental disorder? 

• Yep. People with mental disorders aren’t restricted to certain lifestyles, social groups, or beliefs. Your dentist could have PTSD. Your postie might have schizophrenia. We’re everywhere – literally! Around one in four people experience mental illness, at one point or another. In England, one in six adults experience a common mental illness in any given week. 
• And just how mental disorders don’t change the type of person someone is, the type of person someone is doesn’t make them responsible for developing (or being born with) a mental disorder. Like physical health, there are social, genetic, and economic factors that might make a person more likely to have certain mental illnesses, but a person is not responsible for developing them, themselves. Which is to say, if you have a mental illness, it’s not your fault. It just happened.  

I’ve just been diagnosed with a mental disorder. Now what?

• Have grace with yourself. Like any diagnosis, this can be a big change. it might make you feel much better, offering clarity and a road map to recovery. but it might make you feel worse, too, be it from stigma or disappointment. Whatever happens, your feelings are completely okay and valid. Give yourself time to process the change.
• It can also be helpful to understand that different is okay. Some diagnoses will make a huge impact to your life, some won’t change a thing. Knowing is the first step to coping, and you 100% have the capacity to cope – and thrive – with this.

Okay, so what is self-harm?

• Self-harm is when a person injures themselves on purpose. There are a lot of different motivations behind self-harm, and knowing the cause is key to overcoming it.
• Self-harm can be a common symptom for mental disorders, like depression or psychosis. If a person hears voices or disassociates, self-harm may be a way of regaining control over their environment, for example. If someone struggles with something like numbness, a symptom of depression, pain from self-harm may be a welcome alternative. Though these are born from mental disorders, self-harm is not a mental illness in itself.
• Self-harm also isn’t always physical. Careless acts, self-neglect and deliberately making yourself feel bad can also come under this umbrella. It’s anything that is harmful to yourself. Of course, most jaywalkers aren’t cutting across the road with the intent of getting themselves hurt, but these sorts of things can be good to keep in mind if you know someone in your life struggling with self-harm.

Why do people self-harm?

• As much as it is destructive, self-harm is also a very personal thing. The cause for self-harm will hugely depend on the individual person and the situation they’re in. Common causes, however, include:
  • Providing release for hard-to-digest emotions like anger
  • Gaining control over something if you feel powerless or overwhelmed
  • Placating feelings of guilt or shame (ie. self-punishment)
  • Distracting yourself from other painful feelings/experiences

How do you stop self-harming?

• First things first, that’s a really brave, awesome step to be taking for yourself. There are tons and tons of resources out there to help you through this journey, because there are tons and tons of people out there who want to see you happy, healthy, and safe. Let’s not understate that, yeah? 
• Self-harm can be really difficult to give up because it serves a purpose. So, identifying how it is helping you is key to identifying how you can replace it with healthier coping mechanisms. This isn’t easy, but trying things like spotting which feelings make you want to self-harm can help. You can find loads of methods and resources on our page, like here and here, to start finding healthier ways of coping. It’s always worth saying, though, that you are not alone, you are not broken, and you will get through this.

And lastly, if you know someone self harming, or who has just been diagnosed with a mental disorder

• Be open-minded. Bear in mind that as well as you know a person, you don’t know what’s going on inside their head. There’s a lot of stigma around mental disorders, which can make it even harder to get help.
• Give them time, both in the moment and beyond. It can be hard to be open about your experiences with mental disorders, and it can be even harder to manage them. 
• Get yourself informed, if you can. From someone who’s been there, it’s a lot easier to have discussions about mental health when you don’t have to also be a psychology textbook. Equally, getting informed about what your loved one has been through can better empower you to help them. For your loved ones, yeah?

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