 Hey, Psych2Goers, and welcome back to another video. We'd like to give you a huge thanks for all the support that you give us. Psych2Go's mission is to make psychology and mental health more accessible to everyone, and you help us do that. Now, let's begin. Do you believe that people who self-harm are usually teenagers who come from abused households or think that people who self-harm do it to end their lives? There are many stereotypes and false information out there about self-harm that may create a false image of what it is. This spread of misinformation can be dangerous, and so it's important to realize and understand what is true surrounding self-harm. So, Psych2Go presents to you five myths about self-harm. Before we begin, we would like to warn that the following content may be triggering to some audiences. If you feel uncomfortable about the subject of self-harm, you may want to stop and watch another video instead. We would also like to mention that this video is created for educational purposes only. If you or someone you know are engaging in self-harm, we highly recommend you seek help from a qualified mental health professional. Myth number one. All self-harm is a suicide attempt. Most people who engage in self-harm don't do it to end their lives. The Center for Suicide Prevention describes the differences between self-harm and suicide attempts according to frequency, method, severity, and purpose. Those who self-harm tend to do so more than those who are suicidal, and their methods tend to be less lethal and less severe than a suicide attempt. Also, the purpose of those who self-harm often has more to do with problems dealing with intense, stressful emotions than to do with ending their lives. However, these self-harming behaviors can set the stage for suicidal thinking once they start to think that self-harm is no longer an effective way to deal with their feelings. Myth number two. Self-harm is attention seeking and manipulative. While many believe that people who self-harm do so for attention, a study by Glenn Clark and others in 2016 actually believed that self-harming behaviors may be the opposite of attention seeking. They found that approximately only 50% of teenagers who engage in self-harm actually report it to someone they trust or attempt to call any attention to their self-harm. Myth number three. Only teenagers do it. Although most people think that those who self-harm are usually teenagers, a study by Fabian in 2018 found that up to 5.5% of all people who self-harm are adults. Mental health experts believe this number may be even higher since many cases are not reported due to the stigma that comes with self-harm. While it is true that many people begin self-harming in their teen years, these habits can continue on into adulthood until they have sought help from a mental health professional. Myth number four. You're probably being abused at home if you self-harm. Some people may believe that self-harm is a reaction to an abusive home life, but this isn't always true. According to MentalHealth.net, there are six basic reasons why people often self-harm. It can be to distract themselves from their thoughts, to release tension, to feel something other than numbness, to express their feelings, to punish themselves, or to feel a rush. Although abuse or neglect can definitely be a part of the reason why someone self-harm. It can also be due to their circumstances, problems processing their emotions, or even a combination of these factors. Myth number five. All people who self-harm are cutters. Experts say that cutting is the most common method of self-harm, but that's not the only way people self-injure. There are methods of self-harm among which include burning and hitting yourself as well as banging your head. While cutting may be common, many people who self-harm are actually likely to use more than one method of engaging in self-harm. So what does this mean for people who self-harm? There are many ways for people who self-harm to get help. Dr. Matthew Tell reports that most effective treatment includes medications to treat any underlying depression and talk therapy to help get to the root of your thought or emotional patterns. If there is trauma involved, many health experts suggest trauma treatments such as eye movement desensitization reprocessing or EDMR, cognitive behavioral therapy, CBT, mindfulness based CBT or cognitive processing therapy, CPT. Others who struggle with self-harm that don't have access to these forms of treatment may want to consider any number of online support groups that are available. For those who can relate to anything in this video, whether you harm yourself in some way or love someone who does, we want you to know that you're not alone and it's not too late to seek help. If this video helped you learn about some of the misconceptions of self-harm, please like it and share it with others who may find it helpful as well. Subscribe to Psych2Go for more videos and all the references used are also added in the description box below. Thanks for watching and we'll see you in our next video.