Why do people on the spectrum cut themselves/self injure?

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I often don't even have a reason as to why i do......
Sometimes there is a pressure in my head that need relieved...so i hit my head til numb...
Sometimes i just see a knife and it leads to cutting...
Other times it's an emotional response...but i dunno....even with emotions still doesn't make a lot of sense ><.

is there any scientific evidence as to why this takes place more on people within the spectrum?

i've been cutting myself for about 10+/- years

and hitting myself in the head my entire life.

I don't think cutting has anything to do with the spectrum, although some things that are associated with the spectrum such as chronic depression (varies) could lead to cutting, but I don't think it's directly associated with the spectrum.

And like the spectrum, the reasons people cut vary with the individual.

Is there any evidence to say this takes place more to people on the spectrum? I'm not saying that isn't the case mind you, just pointing out that it may not be the case, I know more neurotypical self-harmers than autistic self-harmers. I self-harmed (cutting and burning with cigarettes) from ages 14-24, with a recent desire to cut due to depression. I've yet to meet another person on the spectrum who self-harms via cutting, hitting, burning, etc. but there seem to be a far few who turn to alcohol or drugs to deal with negative emotions.

There are lots of reasons why people would harm themselves, but looking specifically at "self-harm" it's a result of a lacking normal healthy coping strategies - two suggestions I'd put across is that we're more prone to self-harm because while everyone else was learning coping strategies we were busy learning just to be 'normal', and other people have friends as support. I imagine when neurotypical people feel unhappy about something they spend time with friends and that's how they cope, we don't have that so we end-up turning to unhealthy coping methods such as cutting, alcohol abuse or drug abuse. Those of us on the spectrum are more prone to depression and anxiety, we're also a lot more prone to bullying, lacking in self-esteem, and facing prejudice or intolerance.

I' prone to gout which means excruciating joint pains in my feet and knees. Right now, as we speak, gout has flared up in both my legs. It's been going on for days. I can barely walk because of the pain. Do I take pain meds? Not really. The pain, in a sense, tucks me in for the night. It's like my sleeping partner, if you will. That, and the sound of my rain CD.

I just say this because In my experience psychologists have all said it is very common for autistic people or people on the spectrum to self injure in many different ways...

I do believe there is a correlation.....and it could be statistically drawn i'm sure....though there are NT's who self injure but a much smaller sample then that of the autistic population.

I guess my question would be to the irrational self injuring when there isn't really a reason to self injure....no bad emotion and simply a need to injure.

Maybe as some have pointed out the endorphin's might be responsible or some sort of chemical enjoyment we receive...dunno..just thought i'd get others take on this..when there is no emotional attachment.

Like for me sometimes seeing a knife makes me want to cut for some reason...possible because of past habits, or a type of stim such as i might rub a different object or examine it.

well..goodnight for now =)(

Red robin. Wow rain cdsounds fantastic. Is there gentle thunder rolling In The background n

Self-harm and self-injurious behavior are more common amongst those with ASDs.

Probably due to the higher levels of anxiety and/or sensory disruption.

I wasn't aware that people on the spectrum had higher levels of self harm, I did search for information on this at one point and found very little about it.

I have self harmed on and off for a long time. I used to head bang as a child, but I have never done that as an adult. Now I do everything from pulling my hair out to hitting or cutting myself. I feel ridiculous to be doing this at 27 years old. I have always presumed that my self harm was related to another mental disorder rather than Aspergers (for which I am not officially diagnosed).

I usually self harm when I feel upset (which is quite frequently) or sometimes when I feel nothing at all. When I am like that I just feel empty and unreal and cutting makes me feel a bit more 'real' if that makes sense. I usually don't feel any pain at all until much later. I do find that I get a lot more work done when I have hurt myself, although I have no idea why that would be.

Self harm is easy to start but difficult to stop, so if anyone is reading this and feels tempted please don't go there. Go and find someone you trust and tell them how bad you feel. Hurting yourself is not a solution, it's just adding another layer of problems on top of the ones you already have.

I used to bite my arms. Not hard enough to break skin but hard enough to leave marks. I think it was more of a sensation-seeking thing than anything. I am not sure why I peeled the top layer of skin off of my hands, though. I just did.

I'm not sure, but some of the reasons I self-harm are because of my ASD, for example: sensory overload, feeling like a failure in social situations, people touching me, and feeling cut-off from the people around me.

I have met several other self-harmers who have an ASD, but i've also met several NTs who self-harm, so in my personal experience, I can't tell whether self-harm is more of a problem for autistics than NTs.

Hope this helps...

I'm sure I read somewhere about some people on the spectrum self harming due to hyposensitivity (under sensitive) to pain / touch?

Many of us have / have had depression too.

I've had a feeling of separateness from my body ever since I can remember. I feel trapped by its corporeal nature. When I feel pain or sadness it's like I'm being attacked by my body and I strike back at it. This started with nail biting and picking at my skin and then as my sense of inferiority increased my attacks on myself increased.
I stopped cutting a couple of years ago, mostly due to a good combination of medications, but I still have feelings of frustration with my body and see it as something separate from myself.

There are some days that I exercise for three hours and I can't stop until my clothes are dripping sweat, due to the angry ways that my parents handled my autism when I from the time I was diagnosed until I moved out. I do it to block the words out of my head.

I don't see the point in cutting myself, I'd rather just have a cup of tea and watch Doctor Who

I do it when I have bad meltdowns and negative thoughts tend to manifest and build up these are mainly self hating thoughs as well so I start to feel the urge to punish myself sometimes it gets to the extreme though and also when I think myself less important than others.