"cutting is a failed suicide attempt"
-Sorry to dissapoint you, but I'm not trying to kill myself here. It's true that many people that self-harm are also suicidal, but harming is actually their way to avoid killing themselves. It's a way of handling the pain without chosing to end life.
"people who self-harm are a danger to others"
-No. If you are insisting on stereotyping SI, then you should know that most (most- not all) SI are very giving people. They are no danger to others. They are, however, a danger to themselves.
"self-mutilation is about sexual gratification"
-Not true! This isn't about sexual needs. In many cases, it's a way of distancing from sex. ("If I have scars, no one will want to sleep with me.")
"self harm is just a way to get attention"
-That is not true. If it was about attention, people would not try to hide it, would they? Most SI are ashamed of their behavior, and feel like "freaks" for doing what they are doing. And you know what? I think that if someone needs to cut him/her-self to get your attention, whether it's the intention or not, something is wrong. No one should come to a point where he/she needs to cut him/her-self as a cry for help, or as a coping mechanism.
