Self Harm

The tendency or compulsion to hurt yourself - by cutting or burning, for example - is usually a clear sign of intense inner turmoil, anxiety, and suppressed emotions. This behavior is seen as an element of depression, severe anxiety, and post-traumatic stress. It is also increasingly noted in adolescents, and sometimes takes a course similar to a drug or alcohol addiction, complete with secret stashes, rituals, and, of course, a cycle of anxiety, impulse, resistance, tension, release, and, often, shame... then back to anxiety, which is somehow relieved by cutting, burning, or other acts involving physical pain - the only apparent escape from seemingly more terrible emotional pain.