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All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them
Walt Disney
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Why do very young children self-harm without recognising they are doing it? And how does this affect someone self-harming?
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It is normal for young children to hit themselves when angry.
Typically, a child may feel upset or distressed by various situational factors such as hunger, being ignored, having his favourite toy taken away from him or even feeling uncomfortable after soiling himself. The child would normally express the displeasure and discomfort by crying. This serves to gain the attention of people around. A small minority may hit themselves but if they are reassured consistently that they are being cared for and loved, this hitting behaviour would usually stop over time.
It is important to show the child another healthier way to express his distress, such as speaking to an adult caregiver. This strategy usually works. There is no need to worry too much about such behaviour because children will learn more adaptive ways to express themselves as they grow up.
Younger children who lack the vocabulary to express themselves may re-enact past traumas by biting and hitting themselves, or banging themselves against hard surfaces. Although these seem to be rather extreme behaviours, they are a form of self-expression for these children. If adults are there to teach the child a healthy way of expressing themselves, self-harming will not persist through growing up years.
When young, self-harming is a way of expressing emotions whereas as we grow older, self-harming turns into more of a coping mechanism. Therefore, to children, they are not aware that they self-harming because it serves the purpose of expressing emotions.
Angela - 4094 Views
View and Make Comments (7) |
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...hi.
I am 11 years old and I
self-harm, I told my sister
but then she ended up trying
to commit suicide not to long
after. She also deals with
depression and has been for a
very long time. I have MANY
cuts and some have faded but I
can still..feel them?
OASans
I used to self harm like
cutting myself or burning, but
it's been a long time since I
did this last time. However, a
friend of mine seemed to
discover my scars and begin to
be afraid of me yesterday. I
really treasure him and I am
now very stressed out.
OASans
I used to self harm like
cutting myself or burning, but
it's been a long time since I
did this last time. However, a
friend of mine seemed to
discover my scars and begin to
be afraid of me yesterday. I
really treasure him and I am
not very stressed out.
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I always would dig my nails into my skin at a very young age. I made myself bleed when I was 5 by cutting my finger with a pair of scissors. Unlike this article said, I was already seeing a counselor, being taught different mechanisms. I was taught so many other things to do. And yet here I am, 17, and I cut all the time. What happened that I didn't make it like others did?
When I was about seven, I remember trying to break my arm, staying up half the night. I also remember making up a game with a friend- the object was to see who could make themselves bleed first. I won. She didn't try. I think I was six at the time. Like mistressqueenie said, I really never thought of it as SI before I actually began to cut. Now, looking back, it scares me to think that I did everything I did without even realizing what exactly I was doing.
I remember when I was 7 i used to try give myself a black eye by punching my self. I didn't think it was SI but after reading this, maybe I was SI. This totally makes sense.
I remember as a kid, I would open up scabs from scratching mosquito bites just to watch them bleed...
I never thought of it as SI until I read this article.
I used to drag myself on my knees up the garden, pull my hair, scratch myself with objects at the age of 8 and now at 18 i SI
I started cutting when I turned 12. I'm 14. I still struggle with it. I wish I had never touched that razor. but 5 is a very young age, some are born with depression. it can be genetic. my depression is genetic. I hate my genetics
I work with toddlers and i think its sad when they self injure, we have children who slap themselves, bite themselves and dig their nails into their skin. I remember digging my nails into my skin as a young child, but never really thought anything of it, i did it as automatically as most children crying. My mom used to say it was attention getting, and now i cut and thats definatly not for attention. I think a lot of us probably did some type of disructive behavior as a child, my childhood best friend used to pick at her scabs and peel at her dry skin, she also began cutting very young, at age 11.