Say What?
What is Self Injury? Well, the definition I've come across
most is: Self-inflicted physical harm severe enough to cause tissue damage or
marks that last for several hours, done without suicidal intent or intent to
attain sexual pleasure. While this is a good definition, I don't
think it covers the whole of self injury. So lets try to define it a bit better.
Self Injury Is:
Self-inflicted physical harm, usually done to relieve the emotions the
self-injurer is feeling at the time. While most marks last more than an hour, this is not a requirement of
self-injury. Self injury is done 98-99% of the time without suicidal intent. Self injury is not done to attain sexual pleasure,
which means that a masochist is not a self-injurer.
What Are They Doing
Okay, now let's go into a little more detail on what
self-inflicted physical harm is. It can be many, many things. Here are a few examples:
Examples of Self Injury:
Cutting - Cutting of the skin with a sharp
object.
Burning - Burning of the skin with an open
flame or heated object
Head Banging - Banging one's head up against
the wall or other object, sometimes until consciousness is lost
Snapping - Snapping a rubber band
or other elastic type object on a part of the body to cause pain
Scratching and Bruising - Scratching
or bruising one's self on purpose
Eye Pressing - Pressings one's eyes hard
enough to cause pain
Picking - Picking scabs and not
letting wounds heal (on purpose to not let the wounds heal and excluding
out of habit. i.e. a five year old that has a habit of picking scabs because
they're there is not a self-injurer)
I'm sure there are many other forms of self harm
that people have come up with, so a general definition would be: Performing
an act that physically harms the body.
.
Some people think that unless the person hurts them self "bad enough"
they aren't really a self injurer. This isn't true, just because someone doesn't
cut as bad as somebody else doesn't mean they aren't self-injuring, that is one
point that can never be stressed enough. It is this type of thinking that can
sometimes push people to do more damage to them self. Many self injurers think
that to do it right, or to be classified as a self injurer, or to prove their
serious they must cut deeper or burn longer etc. etc. I myself have suffered
from this type of thinking. People need to realize that, while the wounds may be
less serious, the person still deserves to be taken seriously.
Give Me Some Reasons
Now, what do I mean by "to relieve the emotions the self-injurer is
feeling at the time.?" Well, that basically covers almost every reason a person has
for self-harming. Here are a list of some reasons for self-injuring. As you will
notice, most all of them relate to emotions or feelings.
- Escaping
from emptiness, depression, feelings of unreality, etc.
- Easing
tension, stress, anger, etc.
- Relief from
build up of intense feelings, which the self-injurer cannot cope with.
- To escape
numbness. To just feel something. To know that they're still alive.
- To stay in
reality and keep from feeling dissociated or depersonalized.
- To gain or
keep a sense of security.
- To feel
unique.
- For the
feeling of euphoria, that is thought to be linked to chemicals which the
brain releases when the body is injured.
- As an
alternative to suicide
- Working up
to suicide *
- Expressing
emotional pain that they feel they can't express any other way
- To get or
maintain influence over other's *
- To try to
communicate their pain to others or their need for support/love
- Dealing
with alienation
- To validate
or express emotional pain
- Because of
past or on going abuse (i.e. rape, incest, physical or verbal abuse, etc.)
- Self hate
or punishment for being "bad"
- Diverting
attention from a issue that they do not want to face
- Gaining
control over one's body or circumstances
- Preventing
something worse from happening
- For
Attention **
But
Why?
Why Would someone hurt them self in the first place?
At first
this may seem like a repetitive question, but I really haven't addressed this
yet. Self injury is usually the symptom of the problem and not the problem
itself. Many people treat self injury, hoping to cure the person, but leave the
underlying emotional problems to simmer. This is why some people find it so hard
to stop, they may be able to find ways to stop hurting them self for a time, but
not be able to deal with the thing that caused them to do it in the first place.
And when that problem reoccurs, they get sucked back in again. This is a major
point in understanding self injury. It is also something that people looking to
stop self injuring must realize and address.
Why would anyone hurt themselves because they're stressed or what
ever?
Well, self-injury is a coping mechanism. If you go to sleep
when you're depressed or exercise when your stressed, you are using coping
mechanisms to deal with what you're feeling. Self-injurers use harming
themselves as a coping mechanism.
Coping
How can hurting
yourself help you cope?
Well, for
example, if a self-injurer is overwhelmed by emotional pain that they cannot
deal with, they may hurt themselves to turn the emotional pain into physical
pain, which they can then deal with.
So why don't they do
something else, like exercise or something "normal"?
For
self-injurers, there's nothing like the release that self-injury provides. For
them, exercise or sleep or something "normal" like that just doesn't
cut it. They feel there is nothing else that helps them. While many
self-injurers will hurt them selves right off the bat when something happens,
not all of them do. They may try other methods of coping first and then turn to
SI if the other methods don't work. For example, sometimes when I feel bad
I'll sleep for a while, but if I wake up and still feel really bad, I might turn
to self injury.
Do self injurers always self
injurer when under stress etc.?
No, many
self injurers only injure themselves under certain circumstances or they may not
injure them self on a regular basis or in a pattern at all. For example, Jane
Doe may cut when her father yells at her, but not when she's under other stress.
John Doe burned himself when he failed a science test in October, but not when
he failed an English test the next week. Also, some self injurers may go for
weeks or months or even years between episodes of injuring themselves. Just
because they don't always do it, or don't follow a pattern does not mean they
are not self injuring.
Starting,
Stopping
How does Self Injury
start?
There
is no one reason for or situation in which self injury starts. Sometimes it
happens by accident. For example, someone is very angry and they squeeze a glass
to hard, it breaks in their hand and cuts them. They find that this provides a
release and continue to cut themselves. Other times, the person might find out
what self injury is and try it and find that it works and keep doing it.
Why don't they stop?
Many don't want to or have no reason to stop. Self-injury can also be quite
addicting, which may be partly due to chemicals the brain releases. So, those
who want to can't always just stop right away.
Is it
possible to stop?
The answer to this is YES! While a self-injurer may sometimes never be cured (just like an
alcoholic) it is possible to stop. This may require professional help, but not
always. It is possible for them to stop on their own, or with the help of close
friends. BUT the person must want to stop!
Details
Does a self
injurer always hurt themselves the same way?
No, although most self-injurers will stick with that ever type of pain helps the
most, someone who cuts does not always cut, they may burn or any other number of
things.
Does it always stay on the same level of severity?
Definitely not. Self injury does grow progressively worse. The severity of self
injury varies greatly. From minor to severe enough to have to go to the
hospital. I myself have graduated from using dull knives and making very minor
cuts that barely bled to using razors and cutting a design on my chest.
Design?
Yes, it is VERY common for a self injurer to make designs, words, patterns, and
symbols with their self-injury.
I hope that this page has
explained self injury to a good extent. Please also note, that the information on this
page is not the sole definition or group of reasons etc. for self-injury, so
please do not take it as so.
If you would like to see
something added or amended on this page please tell me by using the feedback
form on the Contact Me Page! I would love to hear
your suggestions!
* These reasons are not ALWAYS the case
as sometimes assumed. They are actually rarely the case at all.
** Many people
say that people who self injure for attention are not really self injurers. I
believe this is down right WRONG! It is my theory that probably 90% of self
injurers have self injured for attention at least once. This is not something
that should be punished or despised, but should be recognized as the symptom to
a deeper emotional problem that should be addressed. Please treat people who
have or do cut for attention with respect and address them accordingly. After
all, who hasn't done something to get someone's attention at least once in their
life? I know I have.
