Silent Screams: Self-Mutilation

Self-Injury is the act of hurting oneself weather it be by cutting, burning, hitting, breaking bones, and not allowing wounds to heal. It is no longer taboo to self-injure and many people are speaking up about it.

I would like to point out right away that Self-Injury is not exclusive to "emo" teenagers. Anyone of any race, class, gender, or sexuality can harm himself or herself. Besides, if someone is harming themselves to fit into a stereotype then something IS wrong. No one should be willing to hurt him or herself for friendship.

Also, just because someone hurts himself or herself does NOT mean they are suicidal. They could be but do not automatically assume that they are. Ask and communicate with the person before you jump to conclusions.

Types of Self-Harm:

Major Self-Mutilation: This type of Self-injury includes extreme measures and is very rare. Castration, amputation, and removal of eyeballs all fit into this category.

Stereotypical Self-Mutilation: This includes Self-Injury involved with people who have autistism, Tourette's Syndrome, and the mentally retardation. The behavior is often repetitious and said to occur because the Self-Injurer is trying to encourage stimulation.

Superficial Self-Mutilation: This is the most common type of Self-Injury. This includes cutting, scratching, biting, hitting oneself, burning, infecting one's wounds or not letting a wound heal.

Why do People Self-Harm?

There is a variety of reasons about why someone would hurt himself or herself. Self-Injury is a coping mechanism used when they cannot communicate with words.

The most common reasons I hear is that self-injurers use self-mutilation to escape from emptiness, to ease tension, escape numbness or to express their emotional pain. Some people even harm themselves in order to punish themselves for doing something wrong; usually these people have been abused and are perpetuating the abusive cycle themselves.

However, the biggest reason I heard and have personally experienced is that some self-injurers bottle everything up until they combust on themselves. They hurt themselves to make the pain something real and tangible. It is easier to control if you are controlling it and if you can see it.

Self-Injury is also physically addicting. It is possible to become addicted to the adrenaline rush that your body lets off when you hurt yourself. The adrenaline can make a person feel a lot better than they did previously. It is like a drug.

Symptoms:

People who self-harm are very sensitive to rejection and criticism, and feel that they have no control in their life-that they are helpless. A high sense of aggression is not uncommon which has stopped many friends and family from confronting someone they know who is self-injuring.

You just have to keep in mind that self-injurers have high anxiety and are unable to cope in a socially acceptable way. Most of them are depressed and Borderline Personality Disorder, Mood Disorders, Eating Disorders, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Dissociative Disorders are common.

If anyone you love has these symptoms, there is a problem even if they are not self-injuring. Therapy is recommended. Keep communication open with the child or friend and never punish them for Self-Injuring since that can be a trigger (hence some people use Self-Injury to punish themselves-they feel guilty enough already).