Written by Nandini Agrawal | Reviewed By John Victor | Updated On November 10, 2022
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Self-harm is when someone purposefully damages themselves for a variety of reasons. It is the act of trying to change your mood by causing physical pain to your body that is severe enough to cause tissue damage.
Self-harmers may fail to recognize it as a legitimate psychological problem all by itself. Self-inflicted violence, self-harm, Para-suicide, deliberate self-harm, self-abuse, and self-mutilation are some of the names you may hear for it. Some people self-harm to end a dissociative or surreal condition, to ground themselves, and return to reality.
Self-harm typically takes place in solitude, is regulated, and frequently leaves a pattern on the skin. It could entail -
Any part of the body can be used for self-injury, but the arms, legs, and front of the torso are the most common targets. For some people, self-harm can develop into a chronic, recurrent activity. This article aims at addressing common questions/doubts related to self-harm.
Non-suicidal self-injury is the term for when someone intentionally injures themselves by cutting, burning, punching, or engaging in other self-harming behaviors (without intending to die as a result) (NSSI). Persons who cut have gone through a traumatic event and after a stressful event; self-injury may seem to be a way of "waking up" from numbness. Additionally, it could be a means of venting their resentment at it, expressing their rage, or exerting control over it.
Self-injurious behavior frequently begins in early adolescence. Some people do it even as adults. Self-harm behaviors frequently start as impulses. It's not anything that somebody considers in advance. Most people don't plan to irreparably harm themselves and once they start cutting or engaging in another form of self-harm, they typically don't intend to continue. An episode of self-harm is usually preceded by strong, negative emotions that one is unable to regulate. The aim occasionally is to feel better. Those who cut use it as a coping method.
Younger children are more suggestible and may perceive it as acceptable or usual if they know other people or older children who routinely cut themselves, punch walls, or pull their hair when they are angry or unbalanced
Although it is challenging to comprehend why people intentionally damage themselves, Most self-harmers claim it to be a coping strategy since it offers quick relief from distress. When one is stressed, unhappy, overwhelmed, or simply doesn't feel like they are worth anything, one could consider self-harming. When emotions aren't properly articulated, tension can rise, sometimes to the point where it's almost intolerable. Cuts or other forms of self-injury could be attempts to release that intense stress. Strong emotions that a person is unable to express, such as rage, hurt, embarrassment, frustration, or estrangement, may cause the need to cut.
When persons who self-injure experience emotional overwhelm, self-harm almost immediately returns their levels of psychological and physiological tension and arousal to a tolerable baseline level. They experience a powerful unpleasant emotion, are unsure of how to handle it, and are aware that harming themselves will significantly lessen the unpleasant emotion. They might still feel horrible (or not), but it's a calm bad feeling rather than a frantic, nervous one. It just quickly lessens physiological and psychological tension.
Cutting provides relief because the brain is where pain and emotion intersect. Both physical and emotional pains are perceived using many of the same brain circuits, offering self-harmers an intriguing "exit." They've discovered that while self-harm causes a pain peak, the agony eventually diminishes Hence, The emotional and bodily miseries both reduce.
Our brains employ the front insula, a small portion of the cerebral cortex located behind each ear, and the anterior cingulate cortex, a hook-shaped region of brain tissue located toward the front of the brain, to detect both physical and emotional pain. Those two areas of the brain are activated when someone is experiencing emotional hurt.
Regardless of whether we have experienced the sting of rejection or the sting of a bee, these are the parts of the brain that process pain.
Painkillers also work in these two areas. Painkillers reduced activity in the anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex as well as the suffering caused by social rejection. Scientists believe that issues with the serotonin system may predispose some people to self-injury by making them likely to be more aggressive and impulsive than most people.
Some emotions are undesirable or incorrect which might result in aggression being directed at oneself. Once this takes place, the self-harmer realizes that self-harm lessens his degree of discomfort, and the cycle starts.
We learn how to express and manage our emotions from everyone in our lives, including our parents, siblings, friends, and teachers, but some people never have the opportunity to develop their coping skills. They lacked supportive role models for coping.
Whether or not they were subjected to abuse, invalidation is a factor that the majority of those who self-harm share. They discovered that some emotions were forbidden. They learned that their perceptions of and emotions toward the world were negative and incorrect. They may have suffered severe punishment for expressing particular thoughts and feelings in violent environments.
Not everyone who self-harmed claimed to experience pain in fact a sizable percentage of those who self-harmed claim that their activities don't cause acute discomfort. The physical agony is being overshadowed by mental suffering. Self-criticism also extended the period of pain tolerance for those who self-inflicted injuries.
The majority of people have a strong antipathy toward body modification. They turn away when they encounter images of bodily damage because it is so awful. But it isn't the case for those who hurt themselves. These people were drawn to these images when they saw them, which is presumably a big part of what keeps the illness going.
NO!! It is a coping method, but it is not as widely understood or as socially acceptable as drinking, using drugs, overeating, anorexia, bulimia, workaholism, smoking, and other problem-avoiding behaviors.
NO!! Self-harm is a maladaptive coping strategy and a means of survival.
People who hurt themselves physically frequently do it to prevent suicide by maintaining their psychological stability. Through self-harm, they relieve unpleasant tensions and emotions, which lessen their desire to commit suicide. Most self-injurers don't intend to commit suicide. Even though some self-harmers do attempt suicide, this is typically due to the emotional issues and misery that led to their desire to self-harm rather than the behavior itself. The only effective method to deal with someone who self-harms is through involuntary commitment.
NO!! It's a sad fact that most self-harmers inflict their harm in secrecy. In reality, it can be very challenging to open up and ask for help. People who cut want something different instead of a lasting resolution to their problems.
NO!! Persons who self-harm have anxiety, depression, eating disorders, or a history of trauma. They compensate by harming themselves which does not render people insane or dangerous.
YES!! A person's level of suffering has very little to do with the severity of their injuries. Don't assume that just because there are only small wounds or injuries, nothing is wrong.
Negative feelings deteriorate through self-harm and eventually worst as it develops into a compulsion. It may cause problems with the mind and body to get worse, such as:
Cutting or other forms of self-harm only provide short-term relief and exacerbate existing problems. Short-lived relief from cutting or self-harm is swiftly followed by new emotions like humiliation and guilt.
People are far less likely to seek medical assistance for their wounds in areas where they are aware that doing so could result in abuse and lengthy psychological examinations. As a result, they are more likely to develop wound infections and other consequences.
Self-harm secrecy is challenging and isolating. You can feel embarrassed or simply believe that no one would comprehend. However, it is a huge responsibility to keep your identity and emotions hidden. In the end, secrecy and guilt have an impact on how you feel about yourself, and how you relate to others.
If you don't find other ways to cope with emotional suffering, you run the risk of developing significant depression, becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol or committing suicide.
The answer is simple - because It works.
Why would you want to put in the effort to find other coping mechanisms when there is a quick, simple way to temporarily make the bad things go away? Self-injury is a kind of self-medication that some people crave and find difficult to stop, it might resemble substance addiction. People who cut frequently talk about a particular kind of euphoria, relief, closeness, or calmness. Endorphins, which the body releases when we are injured, are responsible for the euphoria. The same hormone is released when you exercise.
Self-harming may begin as an urge or something you do to feel more in control, but soon you begin to feel as though it is controlling you. It frequently develops into a compulsive behavior that is difficult to break. The more someone engages in it, the stronger their urge to do it becomes. When tension rises in the future, the brain begins to want this comfort because it begins to link the injury to a deceptive sensation of relief from unpleasant feelings.
Self-harming can seem impossible to quit when it develops into a compulsive activity. As a result, it may appear effectively addictive, and it may be difficult to resist the impulse to engage in it.
While in some cases A person may cut regularly, abstain for extended periods, and then relapse.
Self-injurers come from all social and economic backgrounds and all age groups; can be male or female, LTBTQI, with a Ph.D. or just finishing high school, affluent or impoverished, and from any nation in the world.
It is difficult to spot self-harmers since clothing can conceal physical wounds and an outward appearance of calmness might disguise emotional agony. In general, those who cut go to great lengths to conceal that fact. But there are warning signs you may look out for:
Self-harm happens to people of all ages, but it seems to happen more to teenagers and young adults. It is difficult to understand emotions, and problems, and how to handle them during adolescence. During this age teens also cannot restrain one's urges or willingness to take excessive risks
Both sexes cut themselves, but girls are thought to do it more frequently than boys.
Self-harmers can have experienced abuse, neglect, or an unstable upbringing.
Teens who cut themselves can be struggling with their sexual identity or wondering who they are.
People may be more likely to self-harm if they have friends who do it. Peer pressure could be a factor, particularly for teenagers. On the other side, loneliness and social isolation might also play a role.
Self-harm can occasionally coexist with other mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders (PTSD), Disorder of borderline personality (BPD), suicidality, anxiety, depression, low sense of self.
People who tend to cut themselves are more prone to do so while they're intoxicated or high.
Keep in mind that you are not accountable for their behavior or for finding a solution if you learn that they are cutting but you might be able to assist. You must communicate with them without passing judgment. Let them know you're there for them; they need your understanding right now.
They won't alter unless they are prepared to hence keep a check on them and ask them how they're doing and spend more time with them till then. Inform your parents or another reliable adult if you are extremely concerned about them and unsure of what to do.
Request a recommendation for a licensed mental health professional and assist them in adhering to the prescribed treatment plan.
The youngster needs support and instruction if they are cutting. They need to understand that you will always love them. Punishing them or intentionally making fun of them won't help. Do not imply that they are harming those who care about them, as guilt rarely improves situations and frequently makes them worse.
People who don't self-injure often experience a wide range of unpleasant emotions, including disgust, revulsion, wrath, fear, and aversion when they come across people who enjoy it. So it is important to identify a practitioner who is willing to handle this task.
Counseling can help determine what cutting means to them. It can also assist to manage and overcome discomfort via dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Poor self-esteem, perfectionism, or anger management issues can be dealt with by psychodynamic therapy as it allows one to examine any prior events that might be influencing their behavior.
Counseling can assist in –
Self-harming behaviors are not explicitly addressed by pharmacological therapies. However, medication can be necessary if a mental health problem coexists. Talk therapy is the major form of treatment (psychotherapy). Short-term hospitalization may be beneficial for people who have seriously hurt themselves or have had suicidal thoughts.
Talking about the same thing you have worked so hard to keep hidden might be frightening moreover it can be challenging to choose someone you can trust with such sensitive information. Select a companion who won't spread rumors or make an effort to influence your healing. Consider the people in your life who help you feel supported and accepted.
I understand It's critical to connect you might think no one could ever understand what you feel. But trust me, some experts can. Try Speaking to your primary care physician or a mental health expert.
When discussing cutting or other forms of self-harm:
An individual is not defined by a single experience or group of experiences. You are not defined through your self-harm.
Your body's remaining scarring does not accurately reflect who you are. Instead, your scars are a reminder of your inner strength and act as a reminder that you survived.
Start by asking yourself the questions below-
You are probably having problems but you are not by yourself.
Although it might offer some quick rescue from a dreadful emotion.
The relief is short-lived, to start with.
The issues that led to it are still present; they are simply covered up.
