Self-injury is the act of intentionally cutting or mutilating ones own body which typically causes scarring or permanent tissue damage.
There are several different terms which are also used to describe self-injury which include self-harm, self-injurious behavior, self mutilation, and self-inflicted violence.
Individuals who deliberately cause harm to themselves may self inflict their injuries in various ways such as cutting, burning, banging their head, pulling their hair, picking at their skin, re-opening wounds, hitting themselves, and breaking bones.
This behavior can become compulsive and addicting and often occurs with individuals who also suffer from the anxiety disorder known as obsessive compulsive disorder.
Potential Causes of Self Injury or Mutilation Many people are under the false belief that individuals who inflict injury upon themselves are doing so with the intention of committing suicide, however, this is typically not the case and the act of self-mutilation is done because of what they feel is the only way of coping with a situation that is distressing or overwhelming and emotionally painful to them as they lack the skills to deal with their emotions in a healthier manner.
These acts of self mutilation can also be a cry for help as the individual does not have the ability to put their feelings into words and knows of no other way to express their pain or anger and their physical signs of injury are their way of showing that these painful emotions are real.
Sometimes they intentionally harm themselves because of low self esteem or self hatred and they feel that they deserve it as a form of self punishment.
This self hatred is typically due to a history of childhood mental, physical, or sexual abuse that they falsely believe they may have deserved it or blame themselves as having caused it.
For some, self-injury is a feeling of control which they may not have when it comes to other areas of their life and may also be their way of controlling others by making them feel guilty, care about them, or they may feel it will make someone go away.
The Signs of Self-Injury or Self-Harm One of the most prominent signs of self-inflicted harm is unexplained injuries such as cuts, scratches, or burns.
It is most common for individuals who purposely inflict injury upon themselves to hide what they are doing to their body, therefore, even when weather conditions are cold they will wear long sleeve shirts and pants.
They will often carry objects that may seem out of place for them to have such as razors, lighters, or other sharp instruments.
Most of these individuals suffer from low self esteem and have relationship problems with family, difficulty handling or expressing feelings of sadness or anger and function poorly at home, school, or work.
Physiologically when someone injures themselves, the body releases endorphins which are the body's natural pain killers and this creates a positive feeling in the individual.
This reaction can cause an individual to become addicted to self-injury as they will continue to intentionally harm themselves in order to release these endorphins which create the positive feeling.
Self-injury commonly turns into an addictive behavior which can be difficult to overcome and requires professional medical and psychological treatment.
There are several different terms which are also used to describe self-injury which include self-harm, self-injurious behavior, self mutilation, and self-inflicted violence.
Individuals who deliberately cause harm to themselves may self inflict their injuries in various ways such as cutting, burning, banging their head, pulling their hair, picking at their skin, re-opening wounds, hitting themselves, and breaking bones.
This behavior can become compulsive and addicting and often occurs with individuals who also suffer from the anxiety disorder known as obsessive compulsive disorder.
Potential Causes of Self Injury or Mutilation Many people are under the false belief that individuals who inflict injury upon themselves are doing so with the intention of committing suicide, however, this is typically not the case and the act of self-mutilation is done because of what they feel is the only way of coping with a situation that is distressing or overwhelming and emotionally painful to them as they lack the skills to deal with their emotions in a healthier manner.
These acts of self mutilation can also be a cry for help as the individual does not have the ability to put their feelings into words and knows of no other way to express their pain or anger and their physical signs of injury are their way of showing that these painful emotions are real.
Sometimes they intentionally harm themselves because of low self esteem or self hatred and they feel that they deserve it as a form of self punishment.
This self hatred is typically due to a history of childhood mental, physical, or sexual abuse that they falsely believe they may have deserved it or blame themselves as having caused it.
For some, self-injury is a feeling of control which they may not have when it comes to other areas of their life and may also be their way of controlling others by making them feel guilty, care about them, or they may feel it will make someone go away.
The Signs of Self-Injury or Self-Harm One of the most prominent signs of self-inflicted harm is unexplained injuries such as cuts, scratches, or burns.
It is most common for individuals who purposely inflict injury upon themselves to hide what they are doing to their body, therefore, even when weather conditions are cold they will wear long sleeve shirts and pants.
They will often carry objects that may seem out of place for them to have such as razors, lighters, or other sharp instruments.
Most of these individuals suffer from low self esteem and have relationship problems with family, difficulty handling or expressing feelings of sadness or anger and function poorly at home, school, or work.
Physiologically when someone injures themselves, the body releases endorphins which are the body's natural pain killers and this creates a positive feeling in the individual.
This reaction can cause an individual to become addicted to self-injury as they will continue to intentionally harm themselves in order to release these endorphins which create the positive feeling.
Self-injury commonly turns into an addictive behavior which can be difficult to overcome and requires professional medical and psychological treatment.
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