What are our main struggles?
The main issue
Hello! I’m Magdalena, a 28-year-old woman coping with self-harm recovery.
I know it’s not a “teenage phase”, it’s a lifelong issue. I know it’s hard. It’s difficult for other adults to empathize and complicated to explain to our children.
Invisibility of adult NSSI
The talk about self-injury is becoming more open but revolves almost exclusively around teenagers and their parents.
Stigma
This causes self harming as adults to become taboo, carrying a certain sense of guilt for not overcoming that “teenage behavior”.
Lack of support
It’s hard to find resources aimed at adults; to help in the recovery process or to explain this behavior to your kids.
About the project
I’ve detected a lack of resources to explain self-injury in adults to our peers, but mainly to children. There's a need of guidelines or some supporting material on this matter. This project is about creating a product to help you in that process.
Currently I’m conducting a research to make this project a real product. I want to know your story, your personal struggles or needs. Feel free to share so we can build this together and help one another.
Background
If you're not struggling with this issue, may be you're asking yourself...
What is NSSI?
"The International Society for the Study of Self-Injury defines non-suicidal self-injury as the deliberate, self-inflicted damage of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially or culturally sanctioned. (...) Risky behaviors that could result in harm are typically excluded in our definition."
What is considered self-harm?
"While cutting is among the most widely recognized forms of self-injury, the behavior can take many other forms, including burning, hitting, or scratching oneself. Furthermore, many people who self-injure report using more than method during their lives." Source
Why do people self-harm?
"One of the most commonly reasons is to cope with negative emotions, such as sadness or anger, or negative thoughts. Some people also use self-injury as a way to punish themselves, to gain a sense of control, to communicate their pain, to reconnect with themselves or others, or to alleviate numbness." Source
What can I do to help?
Avoid judgment and seek understanding, those who are self-harming may get worried that they are being judged or assumed to be suicidal. This can cause them to shut down even more. Even if their actions don’t make sense to you, try to be supportive and tell them you will be there for them.
Share your story with me
Have you ever had to explain your scars or behaviour to a child?
Are you a mental health professional or do you work with children?
Wich do you think is the best way to explain it?