Does scratching count as self harm if I don't bleed?
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Last Updated: 11/20/2022 at 4:23pm
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Life can be messy. Sometimes you need a little support to make your way through it. I love to help guide people through their challenges & to find the beauty in our messes.
Top Rated Answers
Technically, yes. If you feel hurt while you're scratching yourself, it is considered self harm, even if you do not bleed
Anything that hurts your body and your mind counts as self harm, it doesn't even need to be physical all the putting yourself down or treating yourself like rubbish counts as self harm, because it's harming your mind and your heart. There are no rulebook as for what it counts as self harm or not. If it hurts you, physically or emotionally in my experience counts as self harm. I used to pick my skin a lot, and it didn't bleed but at the same time I know it was self harming because I did it to punish myself.
Yes, any intentional sort of pain that we cause on ourselves is self-harm. Whether you bleed or not, you still are trying to inflict pain of yourself, which is something worrying, since things can escalate to a greater level. And so I would suggest you try and talk it through with someone you trust, see if you can work on healthier ways to cope besides self-harm :)
Anonymous
September 15th, 2015 2:33am
If you're causing yourself any sort of pain, it is considered self-harm. It might not seem like it's actually harming but by scratching you opening the door to doing worse to yourself.
Anonymous
April 3rd, 2016 10:55am
yes, i myself do count it as self harm seeing as though you are purposely harming/hurting yourself.
Yes because you are still harming your body even though you don't bleed and this can sometimes be the worst form of self harm.
Anonymous
April 3rd, 2016 3:18am
To me, yes because you are harming yourself. It will make your skin weak and be able to be cut easilyier
Anonymous
September 23rd, 2015 9:40pm
Yes it counts as a self harm , because you intend to harm yourself , and it might get into a more serious state . Remember it is not about what is it a scratch or injury , it is about you real intention about it .
Yes because scratching is still harming the skin and we do feel pain from it. Scratching is normally the start of a more aggressive self harm and please don't do this cause it will become a comfort and consume you !
Anonymous
March 18th, 2016 4:27am
Yes. Anytime you try hurting yourself, you are harming yourself. Anything from a pinch to a scar physically brings a feeling of pain for at least a week. If you cause anything inside this range upon yourself, you are selfharming. Don't think of this as a bad thing. We all have selfharmed. I have over a stupid thing before, and it does more harm than good.
Yes, I use to scratch myself with scissors but I wouldn't bleed. I guess anything that causes harm to yourself would count as self harm.
Anonymous
November 6th, 2015 6:30am
scratching, cutting, bleeding, or not bleeding. It all counts as self harm if you purposely do it to yourself.
Yes it does count as self harm. Anything that you purposely do to make yourself feel pain/ cause harm to your body is considered self harm.
In my opinion, yes it does. You are actively harming yourself, and even if it seems harmless at first, It can lead to worse and it is worth it to figure out what the underlying problem is.
Anything that causes harm to your self is self harm even if blood isn't drawn. If you are thinking of self harming contact a support hotline or the suicide prevention hotline.
Anonymous
March 24th, 2016 6:35am
Scratching can be counted as a form of self harm if it's deliberate and done to cause purposely cause hurt or damage to one's skin. Self harm doesn't require cutting and/or bleeding to be counted.
Anonymous
March 24th, 2016 4:34pm
I think it depends of the reason why you scratch. Is it because you're nervous or itch? than I don't think it depends as self harm. If it is because you want to hurt yourself, you don't have control about your emotions, distraction, self-hate, etc., I do think it is self harm.
Yes. If you take something to your skin it still counts as self harm. It will still leave a mark. Trust me scratching is and will always be self harm.
I think it still is not an ideal option, it is still harming yourself however between cutting and scratching I believe scratching to be better but only temporary
Anonymous
March 26th, 2016 6:43am
It's a better alternative than cutting and other dangerous stuff like that but you're still purposely trying to hear yourself so it's still self harm. You don't need to bleed to self harm.
Yes, any sort of harming yourself, including punching walls or pinching yourself, is counted as self harm as you are harming and hurting yourself. If you feel the need to hurt yourself contact someone at a professional hotline but remember: you will be okay.
It's very much a personal thing. Any attempt at harming yourself counts as self harm, especially if it becomes a habit, or the only way you know how to cope. Most people's self harm habits start small, so it's important to take any kind of self-harm seriously, even if it doesn't result in bleeding or even visible injury, you should recognise it as an indicator of something that could potentially be a problem in the future and try your best to find alternative methods of coping!
Self harm is inflicting pain on your own body. It doesn't really have to bleed, but if you're doing it to yourself and it's for a reason like to hurt yourself, yes it is self harm.
Yes it does, even if it doesn't leave a mark or bleed does not mean it doesn't matter. if you do it purposely to yourself, it falls within the self-harm category.
If you’re scratching on purpose to feel pain, then whether or not you bleed, yes it counts as self harm
Absolutely it does. Hitting, scratching, stabbing, poking, any way that you cause yourself to hurt, or intending to hurt yourself, is self harm. Although cutting is the most commonly known form, it does not mean that no other methods exist- they are all equally as damaging.
Anonymous
December 12th, 2015 5:31pm
Yes-- self harm is classified as "the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. It's typically not meant as a suicide attempt. Rather, self-injury is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration".
Yes. I think that people put too much focus on the injuries themselves while discussing self harm because the cuts, scratches, burns or etc. are what is most visible, but really matters more is the emotions behind those injuries. The hatred, the anger, the sadness, the numbness, the whatever else that you are feeling and are trying so desperately to cope with is what is most important and I don't think that the severity of the injury always reflects the severity of those feelings. If you are hurting yourself you must be feeling really awful :( and you deserve help regardless of how bad your scratches are/
Anonymous
September 13th, 2015 1:30pm
I think that just the want to hurt yourself and cause physical harm to your body can then be filed under self-harming. Like burning yourself of purging. It's good that you didn't bleed, however, and you might want to talk to someone about it. Stay strong
scratching does count as self harm even if you don't bleed. If you do it intentionally then it's still considered self harm
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