Self harm is a silent addiction. Personally, I feel like it's like any other compulsion - the need to drink alcohol, the need to limit your food intake - you need to feel in control. You feel like you can't talk to or trust anyone around you, and so digging a blade into your legs or pressing lit cigarettes to your arms feels like the only coping mechanisms you have.

Whatever you're trying to deal with, punishing yourself is not the answer. You may feel like you deserve to hurt yourself, but in the long run you will cause even more damage. From a personal experience, talking to somebody really does help, because then you're not bottling all the anguish up inside. If you find it difficult expressing yourself through words, perhaps try some drawing or painting, or even write a poem. Anything is better than self-destruction.

Some examples of the work of young artist Bella Schilling: one of the themes of her art is young people and self-harm.

View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://www.clarenonhebel.com/guest-talent-spot/96-young-people-and-self-harm#sigProGalleria2c2df69e58

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