Biting

Hi there everyone. I decided to make this my very first post because it's the subject that I don't talk about. Ever. I'm well aware that everyone here has a problem much larger than mine could ever be, but I need to ask this question in a place where people won't think I'm off my rocker.

Here goes: Are there any biters out there, people who injure themselves not though cutting, burning, pricking, etc., but those who bite themselves hard enough to leave bruises/scarring/wounds? Does anyone know of anyone who does this or have any information that they could give me?

Hi Janine (Welcome to PC )

I'm afraid I don't know of any online resource or info I could give you, but it is a form of self-injuring, and it does happen.

Hope someone else here can help you out.

<font color="blue"> Welcome to Psych Central, Janine. I hope you find that others do understand with what you are dealing. Self harm comes in many forms, but you are correct in that most of the members who post haven't discussed biting much, if at all.

I'm not sure what a person does is important; why a person does it, is, imo. Do you find you want to remove yourself (your feelings) from a situation, do you need to feel real (pain), are you doing it to get attention, are you acting out, or do you feel the need to be punished? That wasn't posted for you to answer here, but for yourself. (And for everyone who self-harms.)

I hope you can find a better way to cope, in the future...but until that time, please be safe with your injury. Are you seeing a therapist (T) are you on medication? You don't have to answer any question you don't wish to.
Share more when you wish.

Again, welcome to PC.

Janine, yup. Biting was how I atarted. Like Sky says, though, it isn't how you hurt yourself but why. It's a way to deal with something that you haven't found a better way to deal with yet. But it's really not an effective way to deal with the problem. Therapy helps you to learn ways to address the real problems so life gets better, and you won't need to hurt like this.

The resources about self injury apply to biting too. There are lots of them listed around this site, but if you don't find what you are looking for, we'll be glad to hunt them up and post them again for you.

Rap

Thanks for the welcomes.

I haven't done it in awhile, but I still have the urge and I have to exercize incredible self-control not to. When I do bite, it's when I'm frustrated with a situation and there's no way out. I used to do it when I was a kid and a teenager because I wasn't allowed to lash out at my mother like she did to me physically. Everytime I get to thinking about what she did to me and how she made me feel, I want to do it again just because I can't stand up to her now either. I suppose I bite because I feel frustrated and helpless and hate myself for being that way.

I'm not seeing a therapist, nor am I on meds. Honestly (before this, that is) I've only admitted it to one friend and very recently, my husband. My friend understood completely, but my husband... He took it fairly well I suppose. I could tell he was uncomfortable when he heard it and he hasn't mentioned it since. (He's in Iraq right now, so it doesn't surprise me. He has bigger fish to fry.)

I'm in the military, so unless I get put on suicide watch and have a big to-do made out of something I want to be kept under wraps, I really can't try to get help.

Ah yes, the stigma in the military grrr. I'm glad you felt ok in sharing with PC. Self control is something we all have to have and exercise...of course it's always when we don't want to! I don't SI but think I understand the nature of it.

Finding another way to cope with all that frustration (of being in military etc) would be important, imo. How else do you cope? Coming to PC is one way now, do you journal, meditate, go extra to the firing range or what?

TC

I don't journal because I find it tedious. I've tried videotaping and recording, but I always end up judging my looks or voice. My latest attempt was the therapist, but I haven't been back for months. I really didn't fit in with her well. I guess she didn't quite know what to do with me either because all I really wanted was someone to talk to and offer me advice and perhaps help me with some of my bigger issues eventually (depression, problems paying attention, biting, bottling up emotions). I guess I felt like she didn't even want to have a "get to know each other" period. She made me write down therapy goals, but I really just wasn't ready for that yet. I just didn't trust her enough to want to stay.

In conclusion, my way of coping is ignoring the issue at hand.

Biter here too. you are not alone. Any info that you find about taking care of other self injury activites fits for taking care of this as it is considered self mutilation self harm.

i bite.......this behavior never seems to be in reaction to something happening in real...sometimes i just look at my arm and think it would look better with some bite marks....for me each SI behavior has a differnt trigger

I bite too, leaving obvious bruises that take weeks to heal. You summed it up perfectly ... feeling frustrated and helpless! The harder I bite, the less the pain is if what is actually hurting me.
You are not alone.

Welcome to PC - please share more as you feel ready and comfortable.

When I was younger, if I got frustrated I would bite myself really hard.

2bad2bgood, I'm like that with my cutting. If I don't see a fresh cut mark on my arms, it's like I have to cut again just to see it...I thought I was the only one like that.

it is kind of strange how such similiar behaviors can be done for so many differnt reasons.....it kind of makes it hard to believe that any kind of therphy would be able to help it.....I do wonder how new the behaviors are....i mean did they SI during the little house on the praire period of history, or in elizabethean england. Did the eqyptians SI? or is there some thing about modern times that triggers it?

Those are interesting questions. Some forms of SI were sanctioned in earlier periods of history. Like self-flaggelation for penance during medieval times. And blood letting used to be considered cleansing, although usually the doctor would do it. I'm sure that people have always sometimes thrown themselves into their physical labors and occasionally overdone it when they felt a need to work off some emotions, but didn't have an outlet for talking about it. I bet that while methods and perceptions and interpretations have probably varied a lot, there have probably been people who felt better through pain of some kind.

Rap

Somewhere I forget where I read but Self injury specifically flogging (beating) yourself was a religios practice. At intervols or certain situations the person purged their bodys of sin by flogging themselves. it was centuries ago if I remember right.

Wow. You guys are great. It's relieving to know that it's not just me... not that I thought it was, but I don't know anyone else who does this.

Hi Janine

Please feel free to continue posting - this is a great place to receive mutual understanding and support.

Everything of the best for you!!