"People should know about us. Girls who write their pain on their bodies."

Why do people self harm?

There are no fixed rules about why people self-harm. It really can be very different for everyone.

In general, self-injury may result from:

• Poor coping skills. Nonsuicidal self-injury is usually the result of an inability to cope in healthy ways with stress and emotional pain.
• Difficulty managing emotions. Having a hard time controlling, expressing or understanding emotions may lead to self-injury. The mix of emotions that triggers self-injury is complex. For example, there may be feelings of worthlessness, loneliness, panic, anger, guilt, rejection, shame, and self-hatred. Being bullied or having questions about sexual identity may be part of the mix of emotions.

"Self-harm proved to me I was real, I was alive. At times it also silenced the chaos in my head, briefly pausing reality."

Self-injury may be an attempt to:

• Manage or reduce severe distress or anxiety and provide a sense of relief.
• Provide a distraction from painful emotions through physical pain.
• Feel a sense of control over the body, feelings, or life situations.
• Feel something — anything — even if it's physical pain when feeling emotionally empty.
• Express internal feelings in an external way.
• Communicate feelings of stress or depression to the outside world.
• Punish oneself.

When to see a doctor

If you're aware that you have any of the signs or symptoms below, talk to your doctor or a mental health provider.

If you're injuring yourself, even in a minor way, or if you have thoughts of harming yourself, reach out for help. Any form of self-injury is a sign of bigger stressors that need attention.

Symptoms

Borderline personality disorder affects how you feel about yourself, how you relate to others and how you behave.

Signs and symptoms may include:

• An intense fear of abandonment, even going to extreme measures to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection
• A pattern of unstable intense relationships, such as idealizing someone one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn't care enough or is cruel
• Rapid changes in self-identity and self-image that include shifting goals and values, and seeing yourself as bad or as if you don't exist at all
• Periods of stress-related paranoia and loss of contact with reality, lasting from a few minutes to a few hours
• Impulsive and risky behavior, such as gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sex, spending sprees, binge eating or drug abuse, or sabotaging success by suddenly quitting a good job or ending a positive relationship
• Suicidal threats or behavior or self-injury, often in response to fear of separation or rejection
• Wide mood swings lasting from a few hours to a few days, which can include intense happiness, irritability, shame or anxiety
• Ongoing feelings of emptiness
• Inappropriate, intense anger, such as frequently losing your temper, being sarcastic or bitter, or having physical fights
• Experience paranoia or dissociation

Overview

Borderline personality disorder is a mental health disorder that impacts the way you think and feel about yourself and others, causing problems functioning in everyday life. It includes self-image issues, difficulty managing emotions and behavior, and a pattern of unstable relationships.

With borderline personality disorder, you have an intense fear of abandonment or instability, and you may have difficulty tolerating being alone. Yet inappropriate anger, impulsiveness, and frequent mood swings may push others away, even though you want to have loving and lasting relationships.