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Self-harm (SH) is deliberate injury to one's own body. This injury may be aimed at relieving otherwise unbearable emotions, sensations of unreality and numbness, or for other reasons. Self-harm is generally a social taboo. It is sometimes associated with mental illnesses such as Borderline Personality Disorder, with a history of trauma and abuse, with eating disorders, or with mental traits such as perfectionism. In psychology and common use, emotion is an aspect of a persons mental state of being, normally based in or tied to the persons internal (physical) and external (social) sensory feeling. ...
A taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and forbidden; breaking of the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. ...
The Scream, the famous painting commonly thought of as depicting the experience of mental illness. ...
In psychiatry, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a personality disorder characterised by extreme black and white thinking, mood swings, emotional reasoning, disrupted relationships and difficulty in functioning in a way society accepts as normal. ...
Perfectionism is defined as a meticulous pursuit to reach excellence. ...
Definition
Self-harm is also known as self-injury (SI), self-inflicted violence (SIV), self-injurious behavior (SIB), and self-mutilation1, although this last term has connotations that some people find perturbing. When discussing self-harm with someone who engages in it, it is suggested to use the same terms and words which that person uses, e.g. "cutting", rather than insisting on labeling it "self-harm".
A common form of self-injury is shallow cuts to the skin of the arms or legs, or less frequently to other parts of the body, including the breasts and sexual organs. Since this is the most well-known, it is casually referred to as "cutting", though it may also involve punching, slapping, or burning oneself as well. A more rare form of self-injury involves swallowing dangerous objects or substances. The usual purpose of self-injury is not to attempt suicide, but to relieve unbearable emotional pressure. Self-injury is seen by some as attention seeking behavior, though many self-injurers are ashamed and embarrassed, going to some lengths to conceal their behavior from others. The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David, 1787 Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of wilfully ending ones own life; it is sometimes a noun for one who has committed or attempted the act. ...
Strictly, self-harm is a general term for self-damaging activities (which could include alcohol abuse, bulimia, etc). Self-injury refers to the more specific practice of cutting, bruising, self poisoning, over-dosing (without suicidal intent, at first), burning or otherwise directly injuring the body. Self-harm is also a way for people to relieve the emotional pain of everyday life, especially in the case of teenagers, but not exclusively. People who self harm may hurt themselves with a favourite 'tool' or by whatever means available to "wipe out" the emotional distress that they feel inside.
It should be noted that many people, including Health Care Workers, define self harm based around the act of damaging one's own body, whereas it may be more accurate to define self harm based around the intent and the emotional distress that the person wishes to deal with.
Two images of superficial self-inflicted wounds of this type can be found here and here. Another example of a self-inflicted wound that required stitches can be found here. Stitch can refer to: Medical stitches, sutures A side stitch, an intense stabbing pain during exercise. ...
Demographics The average European rate of self-harm and attempted suicide for persons over 15 years is 0.14% for males and 0.193% for females. For each age group the female rate exceeds that of the males, with the highest rate among females in the 15-24 age group and the highest rate among males in the 12-34 age group. Recently, however, it has been found that the female to male ratio, previously thought to be around 2:1, is diminishing – in Ireland it has been close to parity for a number of years.2 It has also been speculated that there is a significant amount of unrecorded cases among men, which never surface because males tend to feel more guilty and ashamed of showing signs of "weakness", or else feel they should cope alone. World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...
In New Zealand, more females are hospitalised for intentional self-harm than males. Females more commonly choose methods such as self-poisoning that generally are not fatal, but still serious enough to require hospitalization.3
Psychology One theory states that self-injury is a way to "go away" or dissociate, separating the mind from the feelings that are causing the anguish. This is done by tricking the mind into believing the pain felt at the time is caused by self-injury instead of the issues they were facing before. The physical pain may also act as a distraction from emotional pain, similar to the way a hot water bottle reduces the pain of a stomach ache. The sexual organs may be deliberately hurt as a way to deal with unwanted feelings of sexuality.
To complement this threory, one can consider the need to 'stop' feeling emotional pain and mental agitation. "A person may be hyper-sensitive and overwhelmed; a great many thoughts may be revolving within their mind, and they may either become triggered or could make a decision to stop the overwhelming feelings." 4
Alternatively self-injury may be a means of feeling something, even if the sensation is unpleasant and painful. Those who self-injure sometimes describe feelings of emptiness or numbness, and physical pain may be a relief from these feelings. "A person may be detached from himself or herself, detached from life, numb and unfeeling. They may then recognize the need to function more, or have a desire to feel real again, and a decision is made to create sensation and ‘wake up’." 5
A flow diagram of these two theories is available here. A simple flowchart for what to do if a lamp doesnt work A flowchart (also spelled flow-chart and flow chart) is a schematic representation of a process. ...
Self-harm may also give a feeling of being in control of one's own body, which could be especially important for victims of sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is physical or psychological abuse or harm that involves sexual behavior. ...
Self-injury may also be a means of communicating distress. This motivation is sometimes dismissed as "attention seeking" and has often been seen as the primary motivation. However, for many, the act of self-harm fulfils a purpose in itself and is not a means of communicating with or influencing others. Many who self-injure keep their injuries secret, while those who do disclose their injuries may be embarrassed and ashamed of their actions.
Those who engage in self-harm face the contradictory reality of harming themselves whilst at the same time obtaining relief from this act. For some self-injurers this relief is primarily psychological whilst for others this feeling of relief comes from the beta endorphins released in the brain (the same chemicals responsible for the "runner's high"). These act to reduce tension and emotional distress and may lead to a feeling of calm. Endorphins are endogenous opioid biochemical compounds. ...
As a coping mechanism, self-injury can become mentally addictive because, to the self-injurer, it works; it enables him/her to deal with intense stress in the current moment.
Treatment Self-harm is a syndrome, and may be an indicator of depression and/or other psychological problems. While it is alarming and possibly dangerous, for most victims it serves a purpose, allowing them some degree of control over their feelings. Identification of the cause of emotional distress and subsequent therapy (e.g. behavior modification through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy [i.e. the learning of new coping mechanisms]), Diagnosis and treatment of the causes is thought by many to be the best approach to self-harm; some clinicians, however, take a behavioral approach in order to reduce the behavior itself. Self-injurers are sometimes psychiatrically hospitalized, but there is controversy over whether inpatient treatment is helpful for them. Cognitive therapy or cognitive behavior therapy is a kind of psychotherapy used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, phobias, and other forms of mental disorder. ...
See also This is a partial list of notable people who have or still practice self-harm. ...
External links
Further reading - Favaro, A. & Santonastaso, P. (2000). Self-injurious behavior in anorexia nervosa. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 188(8), 537-542.
- Favazza, A.R. & Rosenthal, R. J. (1993). Diagnostic issues in self-mutilation. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 44, 134-140.
- Levenkron, S. (1998). Cutting. New York, NY: W. W. Norton and Company.
- Stanley, B., Gameroff, M. J., Michalsen, V., & Mann, J. J. (2001). Are suicide attempters who self-mutilate a unique population? American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(3), 427-432.
- Suyemoto, K. L. & MacDonald, M. L. (1995). Self-cutting in female adolescents. Psychotherapy, 32(1), 162-171.
- Zila, L. M. & Kiselica, M. S. (2001). Understanding and counseling self-mutilation in female adolescents and young adults. Journal of Counseling & Development, 79, 46-52.
- Strong, Marilee (1999). A Bright Red Scream. G P Putnam's Sons
References - LifeSIGNS Self Injury Awareness Booklet, Version 2 Mar. 01, 2005 from Self Injury Awareness Booklet, LifeSIGNS
- World Health Organisation Europe Multicentre Study of Suicide, retrieved Jul. 20, 2004 from Women and Parasuicide: a Literature Review, Women's Health Council
- Retrieved Jul. 20, 2004 from Hospitalisation for intentional self-harm, New Zealand Health Information Service
- Retrieved Jul. 28, 2005 from LifeSIGNS: Precursors to Self Injury
- Retrieved Jul. 28, 2005 from LifeSIGNS: Precursors to Self Injury
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