Adolescent Self Harm

Warning signs for self-mutilation can be wearing covering clothing when it is warm out, and not letting people touch where they might be cutting themselves. It was once believed that people who self injure were just doing it for attention but recent studies have proven otherwise. A quote from the research from the CASE study in Europe stated that “The findings of this study show that adolescents who deliberately self-harm often report both cry of pain and cry for help motives. The majority of youngsters wanted to get relief from a terrible state of mind and/ or wanted to die with their act of self-harm. Although the study shows that there is also a cry for help, this type of motive seems to be less prominent than the cry of pain, which is inconsistent with the popular notion that adolescents deliberate self-harm is ‘only’ a cry for help (Scoliers, 2009). With this knowledge we need to make sure we help the children who are not only doing it to

Individuals assume women often conduct self-harm. Individuals also assume self-harm is done to seek attention, or to eventually commit suicide. Women between the ages of thirteen and thirty usually self-harm. This type of behavior can remain between five and ten years.

I used to be a cutter… but shh, don’t tell. Society didn't allow me to express my pain that way…Today’s society refuses to acknowledge many problems that teens deal with. People would rather believe in ‘happily ever after’ than face the truth, children are suffering. While it may seem to others that the problems are made up, its very real to the one dealing with them everyday. This suffering can leave permanent scars, and damage (if not ruin) their future. By remaining ignorant, self harm becomes more and more common, but at what cost? If educators and medical personnel were to be more educated on self harm and how to deal with it, teens and young adults would be more comfortable asking for help. Getttig rid of the stereotypes that

Teens and young adults resort to various outlets with hopes of coping with the pressures they face. Some stress-relieving activities involve eating comforting food or watching TV. For some, however, these activities do not provide adequate stress relief, so they attempt to escape their anxieties through a recently recognized self-mutilating disorder called “cutting.” While gaining more attention in recent years, cutting is still not a well-known practice, yet an estimated 700 out of every 100,000 individuals self-mutilate (Froeschle). Even celebrities like Angelina Jolie have admitted to cutting (Mann). The best way to discourage the practice of cutting is to learn more about

One factor that might increase an adolescent’s risk of engaging in NSSI is to numb “emotional pain or emotionally painful event because they are feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes adolescents will do self-mutilating to bring themselves back to reality or alternatively to numb themselves.” (Laureate) in which case the may cut themselves using razor blades, erasers or even burning themselves by branding.

People who attempt self-harm often think of suicide. On the other hand, there is a saying that people who cut are ‘attention seekers’. Self-harm is difficult to explain, some say that “physical pain wipes out the mental pain for awhile” . Self-harming sends a ‘feel good’ vibe through your body which can make it an addictive pain. However, Self harm is not a mental illness. On the other hand, self-harm can come from disorders such as Personality Disorder, Eating disorder, and Anxiety disorder. People who do self-harm most likely have experienced neglect, abuse, or possibly a deeply disturbing or stressful experience. If a person does drugs or drinks they also could have a high possibility of self-harm. Drugs and Alcohol abuse all lower

Some major mental illnesses adolescent teens suffer are, “Anxiety disorders were the most common condition (31.9%), followed by behavior disorders (19.1%), mood disorders (14.3%), and substance use disorders (11.4%), with approximately 40% of participants with one class of disorder also meeting criteria for another class of lifetime disorder.” (Merikangas n.p.g.). These disorders are long lasting and do not just simply go away without some sort of treatment such as therapy, medication, more hands on attention, and so forth. These kids need someone to talk to and confide in that knows what they are going through and/or knows how to help them cope with their disorder. A mental illness is not something that one chooses, it is a disease that can potentially lead to a form of self-bullying either mentally or physically. Keith Hawton, a professor of psychiatry and a consultant psychiatrist to the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, found that, “398 (6.9%) participants reported an act of deliberate self-harm in the previous year that met study criteria. Only 12.6% of episodes had resulted in presentation to hospital. Deliberate self-harm was more common in females than it was in males (11.2% v 3.2%; odds ratio 3.9, 95% confidence interval 3.1 to 4.9)” (Hawton n.p.g). Mental disorders may affect those closest to us and it may be detrimental, however, there are ways to help relieve the symptoms

Although in the long term of cutting these people may have higher rates of suicide. The wounds that have caused suicides are similar to “don’t judge a book by its cover”, just because their wounds might not be as deep or as long than other, they are still suffering. The Royal College in the United Kingdom concur that, “Self-harming behaviors have become a challenging and complex public health issue...and the behaviors themselves are quite diverse” (2015 Royal College of Psychiatrists). Someone who scratches themselves may be in just as much pain as someone who is going to the hospital right now because they need 15 stiches on their arm. The British Journal of School Nursing also agrees, “An expression of personal distress, usually made in private, by an individual who hurts him or herself. The nature and meaning of self-harm, however, vary greatly from person to person. In addition, the reason a person harms him or herself may different on each occasion, and should not presumed to be the same” (British Journal of School Nursing). Identifying self-harm symptoms is highly important for helping someone who is suffering from cutting

The cause of self-harm could be brought on by thing such as bullying, abuse (house abusive) in which this case the victim may think they deserve the pain then inflicting it on themselves, mental health problems and depression which is leading cause. Depression isn’t always widely addressed so it makes it harder for us to understand the emotional pain someone must feel for them inflict pain on themselves as an only solution to issue. It’s shocking how someone can be emotionally broken that the only way to relieve mental pain is to inflict physical pain upon themselves. It’s complicated what runs through their minds, almost as if, once they visit they can’t escape. Almost as if demons are inside their head and just won’t go away.

The development of research on self-harm supports the claim that self-harm is not a form of attention seeking, self-harm or self-mutilation is a disease. There are always two sides to every story and just like any other addiction there are two sides to every disease. When looking at the statistics of how many people self-harm, the numbers are never a true and accurate account. This is because this addiction takes place in private. This disease is kept a secret (Siomopoulos, V 1974). “The best research available indicates that self-injury occurs in approximately 1% to 4% of adults in the United States (Kerr 2015).” This number seems low because those who self-harm usually practice don’t ask don’t tell. Anonymous surveys

Deliberate self-harm is a term that covers a wide range of behaviours some of which are directly related to suicide and some are not. This is a relatively common behaviour that is little understood. This essay provides an overview of the nature and extent of those most at risk of self-harm, including causes and risk factors. Examining some of the stereotyping that surrounds self -harm, and looking at ways in which self-harm can be prevented.

The peer reviewed and academic articles we used were derived from the studies of developed parts of the world such as the U.S or the U.K. Due to this, we can’t formulate or report on trends and incidence rates among all populations of adolescents’ in school settings. This leads to another gap because a majority of the studies that relate to self- harming in school settings were based in the U.S or the U.K as opposed to Australia. This is an important gap to fill because their protocols and reviews would presumably differ from our own.

“Females are much more likely than males to report seriously considering suicide (23 and 12 percent, respectively, in 2015), attempting suicide (12 and six percent, respectively), and requiring medical attention (four and two percent, respectively). However, males are far more likely to succeed in committing suicide” (Child Trends). Think of how devastating that is to the family when they discover that their precious teenager locked in the bathroom. Losing someone is nowhere near easy. Whether it is expected or even when they take their life themselves. Even better, according to Child Trends, suicide was the second primary basis of passing among adolescents that range from freshmen to seniors in high school. This is nothing to joke about and the rates are only getting higher each and every year. Rates of suicide in teen girls has gone up majorly in the past decade because they think it’s a release from their stress, girls have more insecurities, and exposure to suicidal behavior can be an influence.

Self-harming behaviors such as poisoning have increased among young people especially women in the past few years. High school students are profoundly affected than college students. This paper will address students who engage in self-harming activities such as commercial sex so as to raise money to cater for their needs in school. Female youths are more likely engage in self-harming behaviors due to a combination of psychological and situational factors that can affect their cognition and behavior. For example, young women participate in prostitution because they are facing financial challenges. The post-secondary education requires a lot of money which their parents might not be able to contribute and hence making the look for alternatives of generating money to get money. Most of them engage in commercial sex because they see it as the only option for them to get money. Most of the female students from Melbourne University who were examined were commercial sex workers (Ainley, 1998, p.559).

Self- mutilation can come in many forms and variations, unfortunately there are few studies and preventative measures on how to stop, acknowledge and treat self-inflicted harm done by female correctional clients (Roe- Sepowitz, 2007). Female correctional clients often self-mutilate by “cutting, burning, inserting objects, head banging, drinking poisons, or hitting themselves” (Roe- Sepowitz, 2007).