[justmeandmyhead]

possible trigger

ive self harmed since i was about 14, but up till age 18 it was only little scratches. since my first 'episode' it has got a lot worse. ive had to have stitches on 4 separate occasions and narrowly missed needed surgery. both my arms are fully covered in scars.
my question is, is this usual for schizophrenia/psychosis?
my pdoc said it depends on the reasons for doing it and my reason is that i use it to ground myself when things dont feel real and the thoughts are getting too much.

does anyone else with psychosis/schizophrenia have experience of extensive sh?

[newtus]

i do. i have schizophrenia. ive been SI since i was 13. im 23 now. its not as much now as when i was 18 and under though. well i say that but could be about the same. i just dont do it as much but when i do its about the same amount. i never needed stitches ever. i do it superficially. but my left arm is covered in scars. top and bottom of my arm. mostly from elbow down. some above.

idk if its usual for sz. i dont know.
so if i get paranoid i wont hurt other people. i just hurt myself.

[Atypical_Disaster]

I have schizophrenia and I've been self injuring extensively for over 10 years. I don't know if it's "usual" or not. It's a horrible habit and I still haven't been able to stop. Sometimes I do it during psychotic episodes(I made a topic about that recently) and other times I do it to relieve anxiety.

[newtus]

yes bad habit!

bad havit of wanting to do it

[justmeandmyhead]

thank you both for replying. i guess as its not mentioned massively and tends to be referred to as mutilation according to what ive read i was wondering if there was anyone else with similar experiences and how common it is.

[justmeandmyhead]

Originally Posted by newtus

yes bad habit!

bad havit of wanting to do it

yeah is definitely a bad way of dealing with things and very addictive

[Gr3tta]

I'm not schizophrenic but I do experience psychosis. I have been self injurying since I was a young child to varying degrees minor to very severe. I do NOT believe it is often psychosis related, however.

[justmeandmyhead]

Originally Posted by Gr3tta

I'm not schizophrenic but I do experience psychosis. I have been self injurying since I was a young child to varying degrees minor to very severe. I do NOT believe it is often psychosis related, however.

do you mean you dont believe yours is, or that self harm in general isnt often related to psychosis?

[Gr3tta]

Originally Posted by justmeandmyhead

do you mean you dont believe yours is, or that self harm in general isnt often related to psychosis?

Sorry! I meant to say just for myself. Not in general. Thanks for helping me clarify.

[justmeandmyhead]

Originally Posted by Gr3tta

Sorry! I meant to say just for myself. Not in general. Thanks for helping me clarify.

ah okay i understand thanks for clarifying
i think the thing is there's so many different reasons people do it that it can result in a different dx just from the reasons you give them

[newtus]

Originally Posted by justmeandmyhead

ah okay i understand thanks for clarifying
i think the thing is there's so many different reasons people do it that it can result in a different dx just from the reasons you give them

yes u are right with the different dx thing

[newtus]

i used to do mine out of depression and while i still do sometimes its now also because so that i wont hurt people - ill cut myself.

I'm not diagnosed with anything but I do experience psychosis. I've been self harming for years because of anxiety, depression, derealization, but I have recently self harmed while experiencing psychosis. I believed the only way to stop them from getting to me is to carve pentagrams into my skin so thus I have an awkward scar now.

Sometimes I self harm because of psychosis, but not all my self harm is related to psychosis.

[justmeandmyhead]

i think some of mine is related to depression, and some is grounding to shut my head up. as well i have cross shaped scars on my hands which was to protect me against being possessed.

[Mita_Kuuluu]

I have self harmed for ten years badly mostly needing stitches alot and surgery. I do it for various reasons mostly to see if I'm still human or real... I have done it through psychosis before and I have self tattooed symbols of protection from magic on my arm. I'm not schizophrenic but I have been dx as having psychosis and I do self harm through psychosis though not so much any more.

[Ash0198]

I've been dx with psychosis and I also si during my psychotic episodes. Mostly in response to the voices.....the last time I self harmed was last week....but like newtus mine are superficial and nothing as severe as needing stitches let alone surgery.
I self harmed all the time during my last psychotic break which happened over the course of two months. My arms have plenty of scars. But I don't just cut. I strangle myself too and bruise myself too.
It's such a bad habit I hate it so much! But I don't know what else to do.... There are other alternatives like drawing in yourself where u would normal consider cutting. Or holding ice. But none of then give me the same satisfaction as cutting or strangling.