Self-injury occurs when people intentionally hurt themselves, often as an unhealthy way to cope with stress, anger or other emotions. It’s estimated two million Americans self-injure, although the numbers may be much higher – people who self-harm rarely advertise the fact.
Types of Self Mutilation
Self-injury goes by various names: self-harm, self-mutilation, and parasuicide. One of the most common methods of self-injury is “cutting,” which as the name implies, involves cutting hands or other body parts with sharp items, including knives and scissors.
Teen culture sometimes refers to cutting as “emo cutting,” referring to the emo sub-culture, whose members have a reputation for being “cutters.” Cutting is not the only type of self-injury however. Self-mutilation can include:
- branding
- breaking bones (using hammers or similar objects)
- burning
- carving symbols or words into the skin
- cutting
- hair pulling
- head banging
- overdosing
- picking at scabs or wounds
- piercing or stabbing
- pinching
- self-biting
- self-poisoning.
Is Self-Mutilation Suicidal Behavior?
While self-harm is serious, it is not suicidal if the intent is not to commit suicide. Self-injury may be an unhealthy approach to dealing with emotions or a way to feel something if the person is emotionally “numb.” Some people self-injure to punish themselves.
Although the intent of self mutilation is not suicidal, the condition can worsen to the point where suicidal behavior develops, especially if self-injurious behavior is seen in connection with depression.
Cutting self-injury and other types of self-harm can also result in accidental death, especially in people who commit acts of self-harm while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Who Self-Mutilates?
Self-harm was once thought to more common amongst women than men, but recent studies suggest the problem affects both sexes at approximately the same rate.
Adolescents are most likely to self-injure, although the self-mutilation can occur at any age. People with certain mental disorders have a higher than normal risk of self-injury or cutting. Depression, eating disorders, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder all increase the risk of self-injurious behavior.
Self-Mutilation Complications
Serious injury or accidental death are the most serious complications of self-harm. People who self-mutilate are also at risk of infection due to frequent injuries, and may suffer permanent cutting scars.
Self-harm can be a vicious cycle. People cutting themselves often do so to deal with feelings of anger, shame or guilt. While cutting and other forms of self-injury temporarily relieve such feelings, self-mutilation also causes shame, guilt, and loss of self-esteem, which the cutter may seek to relieve with more self-harm, perpetuating the cycle.
Identifying and treating self-injury is difficult, party because people tend to hide signs of self-harm. Self-mutilation also appears to be addictive. The positive feeling temporarily generated by cutting may be due to the release of endorphins that play a role both in pleasure and as pain killers. Most self-injurious behavior is repetitive.
Self-injury is serious. The condition needs to be treated by medical professionals, as the problem’s addictive and self-perpetuating nature makes it almost impossible for a cutter to stop self-mutilation without help.
Resources
Cutter,D., Jaffe, J., Segal, J. (Retrieved 19 September, 2009). Self-Injury: Types, Causes and Treatment
Mayo Clinic. (Retrieved 19 September, 2009). Self-Injury / Cutting
Disclaimer: The information contained within this article is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute in any way for care and treatment by a qualified health professional.
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