What are some forms of self-injury?
Cutting the skin with a sharp object is one form of self-injury. Other forms of self-injury may include burning, scratching, hitting/bruising, biting, head-banging, or picking at skin. Sometimes pulling out hair is a form of self-injury. Some people who engage in self-injury may do so methodically or regularly, almost as if self-injury were a ritual. Other people may use self-injury impulsively — at the spur of the moment — as a way to get immediate release for built-up tension. They may use self-injury either as a way to regulate intense emotions or as a distraction technique. No matter how self-injury is used, it is an unhealthy and dangerous act and can leave deep scars, both physically and emotionally.
