Many individuals that self injure find it difficult to talk openly about their feelings so harming themselves is a way of relieving their emotions and temporarily obtaining a sense of calm. For many people that self mutilate it is much easier for them to deal with physical pain than with emotional pain. Other people injure themselves because they feel numb and pain is one way in which they can prove they are able to feel something or that they are actually alive. Self harm can be seen as a way to prevent suicide or to help cope with suicidal or intense unmanageable feelings.

In this way it can be viewed as a survival mechanism because the person feels that they have no other way of coping. Where self injurious behaviour is used to prevent suicide it is important to recognize that this has taken a great deal of effort for the person not to go to more extreme measures. It is also vital to understand that the severity of the injury is not indicative of the degree of emotional pain that the person is experiencing or their risk of suicidal behaviour.