To think this isn't normal?

[SickTiredandWorried]

AIBU to think that this isn't a reasonable reaction at all- a girl I work with (well' she's 18-19 so I guess she's technically a young woman) got into a heated discussion with a manager, she was really upset and then she started sobbing and hitting her head against the wall really hard. That's not normal is it? Why would she do that? I tried to talk to her but then she started crying again and hid in the toilets and I didn't want to make things worse!

Well it's not usual behaviour certainly in the workplace.
What were they having such a heated discussion about? I would speak in confidence to HR about your concerns.

Wow, no that's not typical behaviour.

I did this before, but I was at school and going through a very difficult time and I lost it completely. I was 15 though and it was a very traumatic thing I was going through and I had been bottling it up for months.

In the work place I think you have to think about your behaviour. Although I did something stupid at this age at work and could have got into a huge amount t of trouble. Thankfully I didn't. Sometimes you don't think when you are young and it's your first job.

Not typical, no.

A no from me either. It's not normal to hit yourself against anything. How sad! In saying that, my niece used to cut herself at that age. Very bizarre, or is it a reflection of pressure on our young?

The discussion was about overtime or something, I'm not quite sure!

Do you think she could actually have something 'wrong' with her? I don't know how to word that without it being offensive! But wonderingaspie do you have asperger's, is that why you did it?

Crying maybe, I've seen plenty of people cry at work, but hitting her head against a wall sounds extreme to me.

Was she alright when she left work?

Could be any number of reasons.

There is no need to go diagnosing her with anything. Just be there for her. Poor woman.

Calling her actions "bizarre" is not helping. It only serves to further stigmatise self-harm, which is clearly what this poor girl was doing.

Sounds like someone having a very difficult time really.

My 11 year old ds does this for attention when he doesnt get his own way.

If thry were having a heated discussion and your manager wasnt agreeing with her she might have just been having a temper tantrum.

I have a lovely friend who owns a driving school who had a student that failed and repeatedly bounced her head off the door and bonnet....he was really worried but her mum said she did it all the time in temper. Like a tantrum :/

Yes, please be there for her if you can. However I think it's wise to at least consider the possibility that she may have mental health issues as this is very unusual behaviour (at least to me).

I sometimes punch/slap myself across the face but wouldn't do it at work. I think it's just a way of releasing something.

There is a possibility it's a mental health issue. There is always the possibility she was having a tantrum.

I worked with a woman who picked up a chair and swung it into her own leg. Temper tantrum not metal health problem. She was just a grown up that has tantrums.

Either way i would speak to HR confidentially. They need to be aware she could potentially hurt herself.