Self-injury, also referred to as self-injury, self-mutilation or just cutting, is any intentional injury to 1's own body. Typically, self-injury leaves marks or causes tissue damage. Self-harm can include any of the next behaviors:
- Cut
- Burning (or “burning” with hot objects)
- Excessive piercing or tattooing
- Picking on the skin or reopening wounds
- Hair pulling (trichotillomania)
- Headbanging
- Hitting (with hammer or other object)
- Bone-breaking
Most individuals who self-harm achieve this alone somewhat than in groups. They also attempt to hide their behavior.
Self-harm occurs in all areas; Behavior isn’t restricted by education, age, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status or religion. However, self-harm is more common in:
- Adolescent women
- People who’ve suffered physical, emotional or sexual abuse previously
- People who also suffer from substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder or eating disorders
- Individuals who often grew up in families that prohibited the expression of anger
- Individuals who lack the talents to specific their emotions and a great social support network
Self-harm often occurs when people experience seemingly overwhelming or distressing feelings. It will also be an act of rebel and/or rejection of fogeys' values and a type of individualization. Sufferers may feel that self-harm is a possibility:
- Temporary relief from intense feelings, pressure or anxiety
- A way of controlling and managing pain – versus pain resulting from physical or sexual abuse or trauma
- Providing a solution to break through emotional numbness (the self-anesthesia that permits someone to chop without feeling pain)
- Asking for help or drawing attention to the necessity for assist in an indirect way
- Attempting to influence others by manipulating them, making them care about them, making them feel guilty, or making them disappear
Self-harm will also be an expression of an individual's self-hatred. Some self-harmers punish themselves for having strong feelings that they weren’t normally allowed to specific as children. They might also punish themselves for being someway bad and undeserving. These feelings are a results of abuse and the idea that the abuse was deserved.
Although a self-inflicted injury may end up in life-threatening harm, it isn’t considered suicidal behavior.
Symptoms of self-harm include:
- Frequent cuts and burns that can’t be explained
- Self-punching or scratching
- Needle is stuck
- Headbanging
- Eye-squeezing
- Finger or arm biting
- Pulling your hair out
- Picking on the skin
Signs that an individual could also be self-harming include:
- Wear pants and long sleeves in warm weather
- The appearance of lighters, razors, or sharp objects that one wouldn’t expect to have in an individual's possession
- Low self-esteem
- Difficulty coping with feelings
- relationship problems
- Poor performing at work, school, or home
If an individual shows signs of self-harm, a psychologist with experience in self-harm ought to be consulted. This person could make an assessment and recommend treatment. Self-harm generally is a symptom of a psychiatric illness including:
- Personality disorders (especially borderline personality disorder)
- Substance use disorders
- Bipolar disorder
- Major depression
- Anxiety disorders (especially obsessive-compulsive disorder)
- schizophrenia
Treatment for self-harm may include:
- Psychotherapy: Counseling will be used to assist an individual stop harming themselves.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT is a gaggle and individual-oriented treatment program that helps people higher manage self-destructive impulses (e.g., self-harm), learn ways to higher tolerate stress, and acquire latest coping skills through techniques reminiscent of mindfulness.
- Post-traumatic stress therapies: These will be helpful for self-harmers who’ve experienced abuse or incest previously.
- Group therapy: Talking about your condition in a gaggle with individuals with similar issues will be helpful in reducing the shame related to self-harm and supporting healthy expression of emotions.
- Family therapy: This style of therapy addresses family stress related to behavior and can assist members of the family learn to speak more directly and openly with each other.
- Hypnosis and other self-relaxation techniques: These approaches are helpful in reducing the stress and tension that always precede self-injury.
- Medication: Antidepressants. Low-dose antipsychotics or anti-anxiety medications could also be used to scale back the initial impulsive response to emphasize.
The prognosis for self-injurious behavior depends upon an individual's emotional or psychological state and the style of underlying psychiatric illness. It is essential to discover the aspects that result in an individual's self-harming behavior and to acknowledge and treat pre-existing personality disorders.