Self-Injury
*** PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN VIEWING THIS PAGE... IT'S CONTENT MAY BE DISTURBING FOR SOME. THIS MATERIAL IS INTENDED FOR INFORMATION ONLY AND IS NOT MEANT TO ENCOURAGE THE TRIAL OF THIS BEHAVIOUR.
What is Self-Injurious Behaviour?
You'll hear it called many things -- self-inflicted violence, self-injury, self-harm, parasuicide, delicate cutting, self-abuse, self-mutilation (this last particularly seems to annoy people who self-injure). Broadly speaking, self-injury is the act of attempting to alter a mood state by inflicting physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to your body.
Self-injury takes many forms. Cutting the skin with razors, knives, broken glass or other sharp objects is by far the most common. Burning, breaking bones, head banging, bruising, hitting, scratching, and biting are other ways people self-injure.
What kinds of people self-injure?
Self-injurers come from all walks of life and all economic brackets.
People who harm themselves can be…
Male
Female
Heterosexual
Homosexual
Rich
Poor
From any country in the world
Twelve years old
Sixty-four years old
High school drop-outs (or H.S. students)
Ph. D’s
Teachers
Therapists
Medical professionals
Lawyers
Professors
On Disability Leave
Retired
In fact, the incidence of self-injury is about the same as that of eating disorders, but because it's so highly stigmatized, most people hide their scars, burns, and bruises carefully. They also have excuses to pull out when someone asks about the scars (there are a lot of really vicious cats around).
Some Reasons Why People Self-Injure...
Feel too much
Feel too little
Need a distraction
Want to punish themselves
Can’t express what they are feeling
Need a release
Need an escape
Want a feeling of euphoria
Want to make their body as “scarred” as their spirit
Want to affirm they are alive
Want to feel something “real”
Types of Self-Injury
- Burning
- Scratching
- Hitting
- Cutting
- Pulling out hair
- Puncturing the skin with objects
- Excessive body piercing or tattooing (as distinguished from the popular fad of body piercing or tattooing, which is not necessarily SIB)
- Restricting or purging food
- Ingesting cleaning or other substances
- Abusing drugs and/or alcohol
- Choosing abusive partners
- Sexual acting out
- Engaging in excessively risky behavior
What to Do to Get Past an Urge to Self-Injure
- Call a friend, your therapist or a crisis line
- Try some deep breathing exersises/ yoga
- Work with paint, clay, play-dough, etc
- Try not be alone (visit a friend, go shopping, etc.)
- Draw a picture of what or who is making you angry
- Go to church or your place of worship
- Take a hot bath
- Do some household chores (i.e. cleaning)
- Listen to music
- Cook/ Bake
- Go for a walk
- Write in a journal
- Try some sewing, crossstitch, etc
- Wear an elastic around wrist and snap it when you have the urge to harm yourself
- Break the object that you use to self-injure as a way to show that you have control over it
- Write a letter to the person(s) that have hurt you and express how they made you feel. You do not have to give these letters to the people, but it is a great way to release the feelings that you are carrying within. Some people find destroying the letters help (i.e. tear them up, throw them in a lake, etc.)
- Hold ice cubes in your hands - the cold causes pain in your hands, but it is not dangerous or harmful
- Some people find it helpful to draw red lines on themselves with washable markers instead of cutting themselves
- Punch a bed or a pillow
- Go outside and scream and yell
- Take up a sport (a form of exercise can help you release tension, etc.)
- Avoid temptation (i.e. avoiding the area where the razor blades are kept, etc.)
- Try massaging the area you want to harm with massage oils or creams, reminding yourself that you are special and you deserve to treat yourself and your body with love and respect
- Write down all your positive points and why you do not deserve to be hurt
What to Do if you Hear About or Observe Someone's Self-Injury
- DO respond to the injury medically, not emotionally
- DO tell the person you know something is going on and will assist in getting some help
- DO try to empathize. Look at the situation from the person's perspective instead of your own. This behavior is not horrible to this individual; it is helpful. It is not about you; it is about his or her inability to cope differently
- DO try to be there to talk. This is the most important thing. Even if you don`t say anything to them, just knowing that you are there can be a great relief to the person
- DO try to take time out yourself. You are no good to them when you are in a bad mood
- DO NOT demand the person stop because it upsets you. He or she is unable to stop until some healthy coping skills are learned
- DO NOT say
- DO NOT shame the person. He or she already feels bad enough
- DO NOT label the person
- DO NOT under any circumstance tell them not to do it. This will make them angry and feel like you don`t understand
