| Self-injury is any
sort
of self-harm, or self-mutilation which involves deliberately
inflicting injuries, harm or pain on one's own body is used to help
cope with, dissociate from, and release built up feelings and
emotions or as a way to punish themselves. Most self injures are
unable to handle intense feelings, unable to express their emotions
verbally, and/or have dislike for themselves and their bodies.
Self-injury does not discriminate and it affects people from all
walks of life.
The most common form of self-injury is superficial
self-mutilation, inside of that definition most common is probably
cutting, usually superficially, but sometimes deeply. Other forms
include, burning, hair pulling, bone breaking, hitting,
interference with wound healing or hitting the body against
something, picking at their skin. Whether it is anger issues,
feeling alone, frustrations stemming from feelings deep inside. If
it is relief from psychological pain, releasing of mounted tension,
inability to feel, feeling too much, an inability to handle any
kind of feeling-good or bad. Whether it is wanting to feel
something, or expressing anger, the reasons why people self-injure
vary and each time self injury occurs, it is not necessarily for
the same reasons. The key point is that all of the means of
self-injury is that all of them hurt, and cause some sort of damage
to the body.
People often wonder and even ask why someone would
intentionally cut himself or herself. Many people, who cut
themselves, do this in an attempt to try and release all the
emotions they are feeling internally. It can be compared to a
balloon so full of air it is close to popping, you must let the air
out. Cutting is a way of releasing the pain that is built up so
much that the person may feel like they are going to explode.
Others may feel so numb, that seeing their own blood when they cut
themselves helps them to feel alive because they usually feel so
dead inside.
Many people cope with hard times in ways that are harmful,
whether it is drinking or eating too much, driving too fast,
gambling or being a workaholic. They do this for a variety of
reasons, like in order to numb or distract themselves from problems
or feelings they cannot deal with Self-injury, though more
shocking, bears many similarities to these "ordinary" forms of
self-harm.
Some people find that dealing with physical pain is easier
than dealing with emotional pain. Self-injury is also used as a way
to punish by inflicting pain to the body. Whatever form of
self-injury a person may use after it is all said and done there is
a peaceful calming that overtakes, thus the cycle continues
Self-injury is widespread but because it is not discussed
people do not realize how widespread it really is.
Fear and shame may force those that self injure to keep it
secret for many years. This means that the true extent of the
problem is unknown. It is very difficult for people to admit to
someone that they harm themselves because there is usually so much
shame and guilt that goes along with it. Many different types of
people self-injure business persons, students, teens, adults,
women, men, religious people, successful people, married, single,
artists, and many other types of people. They often carry on
successful careers, have families and there is little outward sign
that there is anything wrong. Self-injury is a very misunderstood
concept and there are many myths associated with it,
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Myths
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Truths
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Self-injury is a failed suicide attempt
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Self-injury is a way of carrying on with life, not of
dying.
Injuries are seldom life threatening. It is important to
distinguish self-injury from a suicide attempt, so that its true
meanings can be understood.
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Self-injury is "just attention seeking"
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Self-injury is primarily about helping oneself cope
with
great pain. For some, it is a desperate attempt to show that
something is really wrong, and attention should be paid to their
distress.
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Self-injury is a sign of madness
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Self-injury is a sign of distress, not madness; a
sign of
someone trying to cope with her life as best she can.
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A person who self-injures is a danger to others
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Someone who self-injures is directing her hurt and
anger at
herself, not at others. Most would be appalled at the idea of
hurting someone else.
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Many people who self-injure keep it a secret because they
feel like they are crazy, insane and socially unacceptable. "Crazy"
is how self-injury seems to people who don�t know about it and
don�t deal with it.
When people hear cutting, the most common form of self-harm, they
tend to place labels on the person that is doing the self-harm.
They say the person is being psychotic and crazy, This is one of
the major reasons why so many people do not come forward and ask
for help. Until society makes the choice to get beyond all the
myths surrounding self-injury and begin educating themselves on the
subjects, sufferers will continue due to the fear the person who
self-harms were to tell anyone, they might be locked away forever.
The truth is, people who intentionally harm themselves are special
people who have felt a greater and more unique emotional pain than
others will ever feel.
Self-mutilation can be visually shocking.
It is an eerily silent yet dramatic symbol
that takes the place of words showing the world the pain
unspoken.
It has the power to move family, loved ones,
psychiatrists and other mental health workers,
but also the members of the emergency room staff.
Dealing with the most severe of injuries on many occasions.
If you want to help someone that self injures you must
first
see the person in pain behind the injuries. The most precious
things you can offer are understanding and support. Understand that
self-injury is a way to cope with emotional pain too great to deal
with any other way. Giving the a person that self injures the
opportunity to talk about their feelings and offering to be there
in difficult times is a good start to help them find a way to let
out some of the pain inside without having to self harm in order to
do that.
Don't try to take responsibility for stopping the people from
hurting themselves or be accepting, just offer understanding and
support, as much as you can.
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