facts about self-harm

[recoveringcutter]

when i made that first cut, i didn't know i would enjoy it. of course i did it for three years and i notcie it was getting really bad. so i finally got the curage to tell my mom after i called a teen hotline..

yes some of this infomation might be on this more the once

In 1993 self injury was classified into three categories by psychiatrists Favazza & Rosenthal:

Self injury can be referred to in a number of ways: 'self harm', 'self injury', 'self mutilation', 'cutting' 'si'. Many self injurers refer to their actions as 'cutting' or 'si' - these are far more informal terms. 'Self mutilation' as a term is often avoided by self-injurers, due to the graphical quality of the description.

Self injury is the deliberate damaging of body tissue without the eventual intention of suicide. Self injury is often mistaken as a failed suicide attempt, and while there are many self injurers who are also suicidal, research shows that by far the majority of self injurers have not considered suicide. This is one false assumption that seems to naturally occur amongst people who are unaware of self injury.

1) Major self-mutilation: This is the most extreme and uncommon form of self-injury. It consists of infrequent acts in which a great deal of tissue is destroyed (castration, limb amputation etc...) It often results in permanent disfigurement and is most often associated with psychotic or acute intoxicated states.

2. Stereotypic self-mutilation: This form of injury consists of fixed, often rhythmic patterns such as head banging (the most common), eyeball pressing, and finger or arm biting. It is most commonly seen in institutionalized mentally retarded people, but also occurs in autistic, psychotic, and schizophrenic people as well as those with Lech-Nyhan and Tourette Syndromes.

3. Superficial or moderate self-mutilation: This is described as "a common behavior" by many of the writers listed in the reference section and is the primary subject of this article. Although a significant indicator of emotional distress, this kind of injury is not highly lethal and results in relatively little tissue damage. It often occurs sporadically and repetitively. It sometimes develops an "addictive" quality and becomes an overwhelming preoccupation for some people. Cutting the skin with razor blades or broken glass is the most commonly seen method, and skin carving, burning, interference with wound healing, needle sticking, self-punching and scratching are among other examples.

It must be stressed that category three is the most common form of self injury, and the form which is chiefly dealt with on this website.
'Moderate self-mutilation' is often linked with a number of additional disorders, including:
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after rape or combat
Depersonalization
Multiple Personality Disorder (Dissociative Identity Disorder)
Eating disorders
Characterological traits or disorders
Addison's Disease
Benign intracranial hypertension
Substance abuse
Clinical depression
However, self injury does occur without symptoms of the above.

The 'technical stuff' aside, self injury is not the 'problem' for many injurers. It is the feelings and reasons behind the cutting that are the main problems. Many self injurers find it extremely difficult to express their reasons for self injury to any specific level, which is why counseling and therapy can be so beneficial to self injurers.
Self injury is often combined with feelings of guilt, helplessness, rejection, self-hatred, anger, failure and loneliness. Often - although not always - these feelings stem from past or present influential events (e.g. domestic violence, divorce of parents, death of loved ones, lack of care as a child, parental depression, alcoholism or critical behavior...). It must be stressed though, that often the reasons for self harming are not as easy to pinpoint as these causes.

Self injurious behavior does NOT categories a person as psychotic, suicidal or mentally disturbed.

What Is It? Self-injury involves self-inflicted bodily harm that is severe enough to either cause tissue damage or to leave marks that last several hours. Cutting is the most common form of SI, but burning, head banging and scratching are also common. Other forms include biting, skin-picking, hair-pulling, hitting the body with objects or hitting objects with the body.

Other Names
Self-injury, self-harm, self-mutilation, cutting, burning, SI.

Why Do People Do It? Although suicidal feelings may accompany SI, it does not necessarily indicate a suicide attempt. Most often it is simply a mechanism for coping with emotional distress. People who select this emotional outlet may use it to express feelings, to deal with feelings of unreality or numbness, to stop flashbacks, to punish themselves, or to relieve tension.

Who Self-Injures Although SI is recognized as a common problem among the teenage population, it is not limited to adolescents. People of all sexes, nationalities, socioeconomic groups and ages can be self-injurers.

Warning Signs People who self-injure become very adept at hiding scars or explaining them away. Look for signs such as a preference for wearing concealing clothing at all times (e.g. long sleeves in hot weather), an avoidance of situations where more revealing clothing might be expected (e.g. unexplained refusal to go to a party), or unusually frequent complaints of accidental injury (e.g. a cat owner who frequently has scratches on their arms)

Treatments Medications such as antidepressants, mood stabilizers and anxiolytics may alleviate the underlying feelings that the patient is attempting to cope with via SI. The patient must also be taught coping mechanisms to replace the SI. Once the patient is stable, therapeutic work should be done to help the patient cope with the underlying problems that are causing their distress. Some experts say that hospitalization or forced stopping of the SI is not a helpful treatment. It may make the doctor and involved friends and family feel more comfortable, but does nothing to help the underlying problems. Further, the patient is generally neither psychotic nor actively suicidal and will benefit more from working with a doctor who is compassionate to the reasons that they are hurting themselves. Patient desire to cooperate and get well is a major factor in recovery.

i know this maybe a lot but i just want to get the message across. i hope this helps people who cut or there friends who cut

[Done-With-It!]

Good stuff, if you get your stuff online you should try and include a link so they get credit and/or if someone wants to go read more.

[annihilate_me]

Great Info!