Vivid images of self-harm

[Threadworrm]

I don't have any plans to harm myself; I don't even want to harm myself, and I know that I won't. But several times a day I have very vivid images of hurting myself -- an image of stabbing myself in the stomach, or slashing my throat, or (most horribly) splitting my skull into need semi-spheres with an axe-head and seeing the brain.

They are brief flashes, and not very troublesome, but not nice. They come as a short surge of anger at myself and my failure to do as I should.

I wondered how common this sort of thing is. Does everyone have this very graphic sort of expression of self-dislike from time to time?

Yes. The way I see it is that I do this to stop physically harming myself, which I never have.

I get this a lot. I think it's just your frustration at yourself manifesting itself in the vivid images. That's the way I've always seen it anyway.

Thank you. It is a useful safety valve, I suppose. But it also makes me feel bad about myself.

Not much help but I do this as well. I stopped doing it whilst on ad's but have been slowly cominig off them and have started again. I find it quite scary but have never talked to anyone about it.

Interesting that the ADs halted it. It's one of several things that ADs don't change for me.

I'm sorry it is scary for you. It isn't for me -- it's just bad for me, I think, in a similar way to actual self-harm (though much less severely so of course). Somehow seeing myself hurt makes me feel more deserving of being hurt.

Though I don't have a history of self-harm, except for some extremely lame "overdoses", I do have that stab-in-the stomach image from time to time. For me, uncomfortable emotions, e.g. guilt, seem to gather just under my ribs, as though they've found a physical place, which sounds ridiculous! I didn't used to be this way; it's just my mental health has deteriorated since having children, separating from my husband, and being in a relationship that gives me a lot of happiness but also grief. I have this sense of guilt all the time that makes no sense, because really I haven't done anything too horrible if I think about rationally. I'm on ADs, and probably would be downright suicidal if I weren't, but I don't find they've got rid of my thoughts of self-harm.

I think that having the odd thought of this type is normal, happens to everyone. But if it's making you feel bad on a regular basis then obviously it's a bad thing. Try and regard the thoughts as junk thrown up by a tired/stressed mind, rather than as evidence you "deserve to be hurt". there's a very good book about this written for OCD sufferers (intrusive thoughts/images can be part of OCD) called "The Imp of the Mind" by Lee Baer.

Thanks. The book sounds interesting -- have googled it. And, Voice, the localisation in the body of a mental pain is quite definite, isn't it?

When I have the head-splitting image it is always because I am angry with my mind/brain for failing to work properly.

These are very much images btw, not thoughts.

I get these as well. I hate them.

Mine disappear when I ma happy or on Ad's. Most doctors seem to take them quite seriously though

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