Self Injury

Sometimes people hurt themselves on purpose, like cutting or burning themselves. This is called self-injury, and it's not usually meant to kill themselves. Instead, people who self-injure are often trying to manage difficult feelings like sadness, anger, or stress.

Self-injury might seem to offer a temporary feeling of calm or relief from emotional tension. However, this is typically followed by feelings of guilt and shame, and often, the painful emotions return. While most people who self-injure don't intend to cause life-threatening injuries, there's a risk that the self-harm could become more serious and even lead to death.

Getting professional help is crucial. A therapist can teach you healthier ways to cope with your emotions and find more positive ways to manage difficult situations.

Understanding and Responding to Self-Injury

Self-injury is a way some people cope with difficult feelings and stressful situations. It's important to recognize the signs and get help if needed.

What are the signs of self-injury?

Self-injury often involves hurting yourself on purpose. Common signs include:

• Visible marks: Scars, especially in patterns, fresh cuts, scratches, bruises, bite marks, or other wounds. You might also see signs of excessive rubbing, causing skin burns.
• Hiding behaviors: Wearing long sleeves or pants, even in warm weather, to cover injuries.
• Frequent unexplained injuries: Reports of "accidents" might be a clue.
• Changes in mood and behavior: Sudden and intense shifts in mood, impulsiveness, and feeling helpless, hopeless, or worthless. Self-injury is usually done in private and often follows a similar pattern or method each time.
• Possessing harmful items: Having sharp objects, matches, cigarettes, or other items that could be used for self-injury nearby.

Methods of self-injury:

Self-injury can take many forms, including:

• Cutting, scratching, or stabbing: Using sharp objects is a common method.
• Burning: Using matches, cigarettes, or heated objects like knives.
• Carving: Making marks or symbols on the skin.
• Hitting, punching, biting, or head-banging: These are also ways people may hurt themselves.
• Piercing or inserting objects: This involves sticking sharp objects into the skin or inserting objects under the skin. Common areas include arms, legs, chest, and stomach, but any part of the body can be affected.

Why do people self-injure?

Self-injury is often a way to cope with intense emotions like anger, sadness, anxiety, or frustration. It may be a way to feel a sense of control in a difficult situation. Many people self-injure only a few times, but for others, it can become a repeated pattern.

What can you do if you or someone you know is self-injuring?

It's crucial to understand that self-injury is a sign of distress that needs attention. If you're hurting yourself, even slightly, or if you're having thoughts of harming yourself, please reach out for help. Don't be ashamed or embarrassed; there are supportive people who can help.

How to get help:

• Talk to someone you trust: A friend, family member, teacher, counselor, doctor, or religious leader.
• Seek professional help: A mental health professional can provide support and guidance. A doctor can also evaluate the physical injuries.
• If you're in immediate danger: If you're severely injured, think you might die, or have thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
• Other resources: There are also crisis hotlines (like the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US) available 24/7 to provide confidential support.

If you're concerned about a friend or family member:

Take their concerns seriously. Encourage them to seek help from a trusted adult or a professional. Avoid judgment and offer support.

Important Considerations:

• Children: Talk to your child's pediatrician or another healthcare provider for an evaluation and referral to a mental health professional. Avoid yelling, threats, or accusations.
• Teenagers: Encourage your teen to talk to a parent, teacher, school counselor, or another trusted adult.
• Adults: Gently encourage the person to seek medical and mental health treatment.

Remember, reaching out for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. There are people who care and want to support you through this.

If you're hurting yourself, even a little, or if you're thinking about hurting yourself, please get help right away. Any self-harm is a sign that you're dealing with some serious issues, and it's important to address them. Reach out to someone you feel comfortable talking to. This could be a friend, family member, doctor, counselor, religious leader, school nurse, or teacher. These people can guide you towards the right help and support. You might feel embarrassed or ashamed, but there are caring people who want to help you without judgment. They can help you start the process of getting better.

Self-injury isn't caused by one thing. It's often a combination of factors, usually linked to struggling with healthy ways to cope with difficult emotions.

Poor Coping Skills: Many people who self-injure lack good ways to deal with stress and emotional pain. This means they don't have the tools to handle difficult feelings in a positive way. Instead, they turn to self-injury as a way to manage those feelings.

Difficulty Managing Emotions: It's hard for some people to control, express, or understand their emotions. This can lead to overwhelming feelings. The mix of emotions that triggers self-injury can be very complex. For example, someone might feel worthless, lonely, panicked, angry, guilty, rejected, or hate themselves. Experiences like bullying or questions about sexual identity can also contribute to this mix of difficult emotions.

Why People Self-Injure: Self-injury can be a way to:

• Reduce pain and anxiety: It might feel like a way to calm down or make intense distress go away for a little while.
• Escape painful emotions: The physical pain can temporarily distract from the emotional pain.
• Gain a sense of control: In moments of feeling overwhelmed, self-injury might seem like a way to control something in their life, even if it's just their own body.
• Experience something: When someone feels emotionally numb, self-injury can provide a physical sensation, however unpleasant, to bring some awareness and feeling back.
• Express emotions: It might feel like a way to show the world how they feel inside, even if it's through hurting themselves.
• Communicate distress: Sometimes, self-injury might be an attempt to communicate feelings of stress or sadness to others, even if it's not the best way to do so.
• Punish themselves: In some cases, self-injury might stem from feelings of guilt or self-criticism, leading to a desire to punish themselves.

It's important to remember that self-injury is a serious issue, and there is help available for those who are struggling. If you or someone you know is dealing with self-injury, reaching out to a mental health professional is a crucial step towards healing and developing healthier coping mechanisms.

Young people, especially teenagers and young adults, are more prone to self-harm, but it can happen at any age. Often, self-harm begins during the preteen and early teen years. This is a time of rapid and sometimes unexpected emotional changes. Teens also face more peer pressure, may feel lonely, and might be having conflicts with parents or other adults.

Several things can increase the risk of self-harm. One is having friends who self-harm. If someone around you is harming themselves, it can make you more likely to do the same. Difficult life experiences can also play a part. This includes past experiences of abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, or neglect) or other traumatic events. A challenging or unstable family environment can also increase the risk. Feeling uncertain about your identity, whether it's personal or sexual, or feeling isolated from others can also make someone more susceptible to self-harm.

Mental health conditions can also be a factor. If someone is very critical of themselves or struggles to solve problems, they may be more likely to self-harm. Certain mental illnesses, such as borderline personality disorder, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and eating disorders, are often connected to self-harm.

Finally, alcohol or drug use can increase the risk. Being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs can make someone more likely to self-harm.

Self-harm can lead to serious problems. It can make feelings of shame, guilt, and low self-worth even worse.

Self-harm can also cause infections. This can happen from the wounds themselves or from sharing tools used for self-harm.

Physical scars and other lasting damage to the body are possible.

If underlying mental health problems aren't addressed, self-harm can make them worse.

In severe cases, self-harm can lead to life-threatening injuries. While self-harm isn't typically a suicide attempt, it can significantly increase the risk of suicide. This is because the emotional distress that triggers self-harm can be very intense. And the pattern of hurting yourself when you're upset can also make suicide more likely. It's important to remember that self-harm is a cry for help, and reaching out to a trusted friend, family member, or mental health professional is crucial.