Head banging. It's a form of self-harm.

I see. I must admit I'm ignorant with that part. I suffer from psychosis and once had a bad episode where I banged my face/head repeatedly but it didn't look like this... must be hard being inpatient.

 

yeah, i'd agree it's headbanging.

 

side note because I've been thinking about this recently: I follow a lot of accounts on instagram that post that stuff and I've noticed that it's mostly people from the UK? It's interesting, even when I'm in the psych hospital or ed ip unit, I've never seen anyone with wounds from headbanging. (as someone from the U.S.) Hopefully this isn't offensive to say but I wonder if it's like a learned behavior? In the sense that someone see's others doing it while in treatment and they start doing it? I'm just trying to figure out why it's not as common of an occurrence here.

 

I think I know the one you're taking about! It's like a scab in the middle of the forehead right by the hairline?

I hadn't thought of headbanging and it seems plausible. I'm a bit skeptical because it's an awkward spot and I've never seen bruising around it.

 

yeah i saw it a lot in treatment

they can restrain your arms and legs to stop you from scratching and biting yourself, so sometimes people just start to hit their head against the floor and stuff

 

side note because I've been thinking about this recently: I follow a lot of accounts on instagram that post that stuff and I've noticed that it's mostly people from the UK? It's interesting, even when I'm in the psych hospital or ed ip unit, I've never seen anyone with wounds from headbanging. (as someone from the U.S.) Hopefully this isn't offensive to say but I wonder if it's like a learned behavior? In the sense that someone see's others doing it while in treatment and they start doing it? I'm just trying to figure out why it's not as common of an occurrence here.

im in the us and i saw it a lot at one unit, but never once in another i went to

i think it comes from being restrained and not having other ways to hurt yourself

 

yeah i saw it a lot in treatment

they can restrain your arms and legs to stop you from scratching and biting yourself, so sometimes people just start to hit their head against the floor and stuff

omg. that sounds terrible to see and experience. another motivation to do anything I can to not go into treatment

 

I've wanted to ask for the longest time but then I assumed they were from fainting and hitting your head. This makes me so sad to see.

 

It's become a very 'trendy' thing to do which feels like a strange thing to say but even two years ago no one had this mark and now it seems every person does.
There are a lot of places on your head you can hit so it's strange that everyone has chosen a very visible place.
I don't mean this as criticism but you also mainly see it in hospitalised young people. It's like the new fashionable way of self harming. Very strange.

 

Anecdotal, but I've seen nurses saying that headbanging has increased drastically recently, so I think it is somewhat of a trend. (Not that it invalidates the people doing it, self-harm for attention is still self-harm and indicates something is wrong)
The group doing this the most previously has been developmentally disabled women, and many developmentally disabled women have ED'S, so other patients in ED wards probably picked it up from them and it spread around ED communities.

 

I've wanted to ask for the longest time but then I assumed they were from fainting and hitting your head. This makes me so sad to see.

Yes happened to me I had this injury too but on the side top of my head not the central top

 

Head banging