Self harming?

[Marieh]

^Yeah I remember that now, she got help from Flynn.

[alexx]

She got help from Luke when it first started – I remember one of the end scenes of the episode of her walking on the beach after getting some sand of her hand and crying and screaming ‘STOP IT’ when she couldn’t stop touching her hand and wiping them…

[emmasi]

Vanessa (I think her name was, the girl at that teen retreat place) tried to kill herself. She wasn't a main character or anything so I don't know if that counts. Robbie went through a death-wish phase, doing dangerous things in a passive-agressive attempt to end it all... Kim was on drugs for a while but, like alcohol, I'm not sure if I'd count that as self-harm. Obviously it is harmful, but I don't know if that's why people do it. I think it's more or less an attempt to escape pain, rather than inflict it. Having said that, I think that Kim's overdose was sort of deliberate. I don't think he actually said, "I'm going to kill myself," I think it was more like "I'm going to take these drugs until I don't hurt anymore, and if that means passing out and never waking up, so be it." He said it was an accident, but he was REALLY depressed - everything had been taken away from him - and he'd just "made peace" with Hayley and Scott... It all seemed very final for him.

I think that Mattie was suffering from bulemia, as I understand it. I think she was doing it as self-harm (because she felt she was a bad person and deserved to suffer), but also as a weight loss thing because it did all stem from an insecurity about the way she looked (or at least that's where the storyline started). It ended up going back to her father being an a$$hole, but I think the most immediate thing was the fear that Lucas, and by association everyone else, had or would reject her for the way she looked with her burn. She probably thought that because she wasn't pretty anymore, people would have to look past her exterior and see how awful she really is inside, and not feel sorry for her anymore, but hate her. Therefore, she had to become pretty some other way - ie, losing weight as fast as possible (and I'm not saying that IS an attractive thing to do, because obviously it's not). That's my thoughts on in it anyway.

[MarMar]

Kim was on drugs for a while but, like alcohol, I'm not sure if I'd count that as self-harm. Obviously it is harmful, but I don't know if that's why people do it. I think it's more or less an attempt to escape pain, rather than inflict it. Having said that, I think that Kim's overdose was sort of deliberate. I don't think he actually said, "I'm going to kill myself," I think it was more like "I'm going to take these drugs until I don't hurt anymore, and if that means passing out and never waking up, so be it." He said it was an accident, but he was REALLY depressed - everything had been taken away from him - and he'd just "made peace" with Hayley and Scott... It all seemed very final for him.

Just for the record here, Self-injury is usually not associated with an attempt at suicide; the person who self-injures is not usually seeking to end his or her own life, but is instead hoping to cope with or relieve unbearable emotional pain or discomfort.

And, what's defined as self-harm?

Punching, hitting and scratching

Choking, constricting of the airway

Self-biting of hands, limbs, tongue, lips, or arms

Picking at wounds, ulceration, sutures, or blemishes

Burning, including cigarette burns, and self-incendiarism (as well as eraser burns)

Stabbing self with wire, pins, nails, staples, or pens

Ingesting corrosive chemicals, batteries, or pins [6]

Self-poisoning; for example by over-dosing on medication and/or alcohol, without suicidal intent

[Thanks to Wikipedia]

[emmasi]

Ah, okay.

On the point of hitting, I forgot to mention Cassie staying with Macca. Would something like that count, if, hypothetically (not sure if it was brought up in the show) deep down she believed she deserved it?

[MarMar]

That's a good question... IMO, no - self-harm/self-injury is about doing it to yourself.

[Marieh]

I don't think in Cassies sake that it was self harming as Macca was the person doing it. - I don't know if it's an UK spoiler so I'll just:

and he had stopped when they got together again and when she moved in with him. I think it would be something else if she stayed with him and he hitted her everyday etc. then it would be something

Grrr. I don't know (spoiler)

[griseknoen]

Yeah, but if I remember correctly Seb was about weight?

Of course, eating disorders are not really about weight. It's about control.

I don`t think Seb was that much about weight as it was about being depressed because Kirsty dumped him. I think it was more a way to controll his other feelings.

Shannon did have an eating disorder at one point, but I don`t remember why she started. It probably was more of a weightloss thing.

[MarMar]

Yeah, but you could also say that no one has an eating disorder over weight issues, but more over having something they can control.

[Frankie]

Yeah, but if I remember correctly Seb was about weight?

Of course, eating disorders are not really about weight. It's about control.

I don`t think Seb was that much about weight as it was about being depressed because Kirsty dumped him. I think it was more a way to controll his other feelings.

Shannon did have an eating disorder at one point, but I don`t remember why she started. It probably was more of a weightloss thing.

I think Shannon's was to do with the memories which re surfaced when she remembred she had been sexually abused as a child...... Dan will know