Persons who exhibit this type of behavior may prefer the term 'sib', short for 'self injurious behavior'. A large percentage of child sexual abuse victims use this coping mechanism, however, not all persons who SI were abused. One of the most difficult aspects of SI to deal with is health professional's not understanding the underlying causes. You and I SI to help cope with pain that would otherwise be unbearable. Many, but not all, health professionals see SI as 'attention getting', but we don't SI to get attention.
SI is usually a form of control.
We do it do demonstrate, to ourselves, that we have control over ourselves. Sometimes the sight of our blood 'brings us back'. When that happens it's difficult to find someone who will treat the immediate injury without judging you. They shunt you off to the 'crazy section'. They think you are trying to kill yourself or are trying to 'get attention', and neither of these things could be further from the truth.