Are people who self harm attention seeking?
This is a hot topic for discussion. In much of our literature we state clearly that people who self harm are not ‘attention seekers’ – the term suggests that someone is harming themselves in some manipulative attempt at taking attention from others. What we would argue is that self harm is always an attempt to cope with things, in some way. For some, self harm is a means of communicating distress – but seeking attention (or care, or support) is an important and natural human need. If someone is upset they may call a friend, or ask for help, or scream and shout, but sometimes, for people who self harm, this can be a very difficult process; they may use self harm as a way of communicating their need for care and support. It is SO important that when we consider the term ‘attention seeking’ that we do so with compassion. If people who self harmed ‘just’ wanted attention then there are many more ways that they could achieve this. But in the cases where self harm is used in such a way, it i
