Self Harm?

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Does anybody know why so many people with AS self harm? I know / know of quite a few people with AS that do this. It seems to be a female trait more than a male but might be wrong.

I would like to understand it more.

Android

Never heard or knew it is a trait common amongst Aspies. I know several other Aspies personally (I mean, not from the internet but from real life) and none of them ever did self harm.

I had thought about doing it quite often, but never actually attempted it.

Tim

I've self harmed a lot, especially when I'm having a meltdown. Its almost like it makes you feel better.

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Being Normal Is Vastly Overrated

I think you're right in all you said. It isn't THAT common in AS people. From what I can understand, they have less sensitivity to it and, as age1600 said, actually enjoy it. They KNOW they are doing themselves harm, but don't seem OVERLY bothered with it.

Steve

Sometimes I feel like doing it but I never have.

I like to rub alcohol in my wounds sometimes, not just as a disinfectant but I like the feeling, I'm not punishing myself or anything.

When I feel depressed I just have an "i don't care" attitude and am less careful (and more distracted) when crossing the road or so. But I don't consider that self-harm. Self harm is an act of deliberately wounding yourself. I always had myself under control enough to never attempt that. I think I would be too afraid of the pain anyways, but I also just don't see the point so I don't think I would easily attempt it.

Of my AS friends none has ever tried it. I don't think it is that commong amongst AS people.

I've done it quite a bit, whenever I feel embarrassed or upset for some reason.

If I am having a meltdown over something that is my fault...likesay leaving my purse in the unlocked car and then having it stolen...then I might hit myself...but I don't know why.

I self-harmed alot more as a teenager.

To me , the act of harming oneself is a way to redirect attention.
The pain immediately overrides other discomfort in the mind. Also the physical pain is predictable, whereas the psychic pain is generally chaotic and therefore more distressing.
It is intense, and then begins to fade providing a sense of increased wellbeing.

I believe that this is also related to what might be called the ascetic impulse, which motivates a lot of religious practices, especially those that might be considered penitent.
I was always fascinated with this concept of self-mortification from an early age when I had no name for it. It is so uniquely human. I believe there is probably some relation between the unique structure of the brain in AS and those parts of the brain which are responsible for such uniquely human characteristics.

When I was a child, I purposefully cut my fingers a few times, when I was depressed.
Later when I was in my early twenties, I burned my arm pretty severely. The scar serves as a reminder that I do not want to do that sort of thing again.

When I was little I used to bite myself when I was angry. My son does the same.

I used to self-harm, before I've moved out on my own. I haven't inflicted pain on myself for almost a year, now.

I've done it to varying degrees, but I don't know that mine is due to the asperger's. It is when the pain inside is so severe, it almost heals it to put it outside where I can see and deal with it and it temporarily helps. I've heard theories that it is an attempt to stabilize/feel sensory. I don't know. My son does it, but his is almost this distracted thing...he'll be engrossed in his trains and start biting the insides of his mouth or slapping his head. He doesn't even realize it. My daughter picks her ears till they bleed...again she doesn't even realize it. I think this is the self harming behavior they associate with autistics. Mine...I was mistreated badly so there are other issues. I've gotten a lot better. I used to do it almost weekly. My new husband has been helping me keep away from it and turned me to writing and playing the piano. Unfortunately I also turned to food...now THERE is a self harming behavior that is very hard to stop!! !!
However, according to research, Aspies do have an extremely high risk for bipolar, depression, and suicide, but I believe that is connected to the amygdala being malformed or malfunctioning.

Sometimes when I'm really overwhelmed (what I realize now is a "meltdown") I hit myself in the head and seem to do so compulsively as not a concious decision (which seems crazy to my rational, logical, thinking brain), but it's rare now. When I was a kid, I used to bang my head on the headboard alot or punch myself in the head for so long until I stopped in exhaustion with a horrendous headache.

I used to smack myself in the head when I'd get really mad and needed to hit SOMETHING (the other kids wouldn't hold still long enough). That stopped at about 10th grade.

Then after college came my dumbell to the groin incident, which was about sexual frustration. I really need to stop mentioning that.

All of my cases involve blunt trauma. From what I've read on suicide message boards, cutting is more of a female compulsion, and I personally don't get it. Maybe lack of fulfilling affection spurs some need to feel something, so pain will suffice. Or extreme introversion/isolation can cause one to become so fixated on their own body that they need to indulge in it by partly dismantling it, I dunno.

I don't think any posters in the self-harm section had AS besides me though.