First, there are the medical diagnoses. Some disorders are prevalent in self-harmers. A few I know of are:

Borderline Personality Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Bulimia and/or Anorexia

Bipolar Disorder and/or Clinical Depression

Multiple Personality Disorder

Panic sufferers

And some people are simply self-injurers, with no other diagnosis.

I, myself, suffer from BPD, OCD, Bulimia, Bipolar, Panic, and sleep disorders, for a start. Then, I also have the self-injury. Now, I am not sure what came first, but I know I began to cut myself at the age of ten. I was biting and scratching at 5. I do believe I also had OCD by then, more than likely by the time I was 5 as well.

For some people, such as myself, SI is a compulsion, something we HAVE to do. It is like something takes over me, and I must cut or burn, or use whichever method I feel I need to.

Some people speak of it as a way to escape the harsh realities of their lives. Sometimes the emotional pain is so great, that inflicting the physical pain can take us away for a brief period of time. I know that when I go and punch that wall when I am stressed, it is going to hurt, but the scars I may get on my hands are worth it to me at the time.

From talking to other SIers, it seems most people have a "trigger", something that makes them feel they need or want to SI. Mine is anger. My anger gets the best of me, and I feel so horrible I want to get rid of the emotions by cutting or burning. Some people cannot read about SI, or look at blood or they start to feel an urge to SI. It is different for everyone.

This is not to say that it is ok! SI is serious, and I do not want anyone to think I am speaking lightly of it. I am simply explaining how I feel during the time I am committing this act upon myself.

Some of these disorders I mentioned are all about control to those who live with them. Bulimia, OCD, Panic, and SI control me much of the time, whether I like it or not!

All of the disorders I have, and even the ones I don't, can be treated. Unfortunately, there is no "magical cure" for them, but treating them is still important. I take Prozac and Lithium. Prozac controls some of the SI tendencies, as well as some of the OCD and keeps me from becoming depressed. It is an SSRI, a type of anti depressant which works much better for a lot of people than the older, tricyclic anti depressants, such as Amitryptiline. SSRI's usually have less side effects as well, and seem to be safer for those with other medical conditions. Lithium is a mood stabilizer, which keeps me from becoming manic. It is one of the older mood stablilizers and has some nasty side effects but it works well. So, if one can take it without any problems, many doctors like to prescribe it for mania/hypomania.