Mille's Response To Self-Harm In Counselling

The unknowns and misunderstandings related to mental health lead people to hide what they are feeling. Fear of judgment and shame hold us back. There are misconceptions about most everything in life, but one that sticks out to me most is mental health and how it relates to self-harm. My goal is that through sharing this part of my story, I can help those who are struggling not feel alone as well as help others gain a new perspective on this topic.

Many people think that self-harm is no big deal. “It’s just for attention,” they say “they’re not really hurting themselves… right?” Wrong. Self-harm is a HUGE deal. In fact, it is 40-100 times more common than suicide. Suicide has been around for ages, while self-harm is a new trend that has been growing since the mid 1990’s, and the numbers are still skyrocketing. Self-harm was three times more common in 2011 than in 2007. Now, tell me that you think that that isn’t a big deal. Statistics show that 1% of the United States self-harms. So imagine you are in a room with 200 other people. It is likely that two of these people hurt themselves. Sometimes it is daily, other times it may just be occasional. Two people may not seem like a lot, but in reality it is.

Alesia is currently enrolled in virtual school online and is completing her 2nd semester of 8th grade thru La Amistad Behavioral Center. She completed an inpatient program for a month at the facility and was discharged to a PHP outpatient program, which is helping her with school. She is also receiving counseling as she used to self-harm, but has not since a year ago, and does not feel self-harming at this time. Alesia has been seeing a psychiatrist once a week and receives therapy once a week. Cathleen (therapist) expressed that Alesia has improved while in the program as she has a history of self-harming, but has not had any episode since at the facility. Cathleen indicated Alesia has made a lot of progress.

Depression is caused from major unwanted changes in a person’s life. Majority of the time, depression is formed because a loved one is no longer present. Depression is an everyday struggle. People who suffer from depression have issues with not sleeping or too much sleeping. They often eat heavier or lighter than normal. Some may even try to starve their self’s to death. While others may do nothing at all. Although, more than half the people suffering from depression said it affects their daily routine majorly. Depression is considered a chronic illness and must be treated by medicine or psychiatrics. Leaving it untreated may lead to self-harm. Often people feel alone or unloved. Statements such as, I’m not good enough or I just want to be alone, is a sign that they may be thinking about self-harm. Studies show that self-harm is link to a goal. For example, “Self-harm may have several reasons, and these reasons may have corresponding implied goals. The current study examined reasons for self-harm and whether the a priori goals intended by these reasons were achieved.” (Lewis, May 2010). Perhaps the goal of self-harm is to show they are hurting and need help. Although, it could be too

Reducing risk of more acts of self-harm is the initial aim of management. Before discharging a patient home, staff should ensure that parents/carers keep the home environment safe.(3, 29) For some people, stopping self-harm short-term may not be possible. In such instances, existing coping strategies should be reinforced and new coping mechanisms may be developed. Also, methods of self-harming which are less damaging may be discussed with the patient and their carers or

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 goal for the counselor is to show an understanding of the self-harming behavior while conveying acceptance and validating the adolescents thoughts and actions (Choate, 2012).

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is defined as self-injurious behavior without suicidal intent (Klonsky, 2007). This is an issue that has become ever more prevalent in the field of mental health and has been shown to effect individuals struggling with many other coinciding mental health issues (Klonsky, 2007). Mental Health practitioners have serious concerns regarding the ethical and effective treatment of adolescents struggling with issues related to self-injurious behaviors and the risk factors related to self-harm. When untreated these behaviors can lead to unintentional suicide and as a result it is of utmost importance that mental health professionals approach issues of self-harm

Have you ever felt so sad that you felt the only way to feel any kind of happiness was to cause yourself harm? This is the life for hundreds of teenagers, and adults. Self-Harm is unknown to most people unless that have experienced it themselves. Through the definition, anecdotal references and the many forms and reasons behind self-harm it will be clear that self-harm is a serious mental disease, but is treatable.

Self-injury has turned out to be more typical than the vast majority suspect. Individuals who self-harm frequently start in early pre-adulthood, in spite of the fact that they can be any age, ethnicity, or financial status. adolescents who have indications of depression, anxiety, or low confidence will probably lead to self-harm. There isn't one outright indicator of self-damage, yet the accompanying indicators increment somebody's risks for self-harm, which are mental illness, bullying, Abuse/neglect (past/present), Past episodes of self-harm, Inability or difficulty coping, High self-criticism, Addictive behaviors/ substance-use, in addition to Peers/ family members who self-harm (teenmentalhealth,

Self-Injury is a common theme when it comes to the undertakings teens involve themselves in. I wanted to write about a meaningful, informative topic, so not only I could get information from it, so you, the reader, would be able to find some appeal to the data I am presenting to you. To begin, the DSM-IV has classified self-injury as, “a new disorder in need of further study.” (Zetterqvist, DSM-IV) Meaning, Non-Suicidal self-injury has been classified as a disorder, yet it needs to be studied further for more clarification.

“According to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, an average of 1 in every 5 people has engaged in some form of non¬-suicidal self¬-injury, including but not limited to cutting, burning, hair pulling and punching” (Domanick). Apparently self-harm isn’t as uncommon we had originally been lead to be, if even 1 in every 5 people can self-harm, that just means society hasn’t been as observant as we like to believe. Anyone can self-harm, from distinguished politician, to a humble beggar on the streets,

Self-harm/ self-injury, which is defined as the practice of injuring yourself, i.e. cutting, in order to relieve emotional distress, is an alarming issue that has become an epidemic. According to Healthy Place “Each year, 1 in 5 females and 1 in 7 males engage in self-injury.” And within that group, “90 percent of the people who engage in self-harm, began during their teen or pre-adolescent years.” (Gluck, 2015) Self harm can include many different behaviors, such as : cutting the skin with razors and or other sharp objects, burning the skin, scratching the skin, intentionally bruising the body by hitting or hitting oneself against the wall , intentionally pulling hair out

The goal of this study coping strategies in adolescents who self-harm: A community sample study. Coping strategies in adolescents who self-harm: A community sample study was to assess the relationship between SH and coping strategies in a large sample of school-aged adolescents. 1,713 public school students 12-20 were given the questionnaire which was used in a case study to examine the way in which SH is associated with the use of specific coping strategies and general coping styles, and whether relations differed across genders, in a large community sample of adolescents. The results of the study found that both male and females that participated in self-harm had higher levels of depression as well as anxiety. Yet, the SH (self-harm group)

Talking about your struggles and stresses is taboo, and as an adolescent in today’s society there are an ever growing number of struggles and stresses to deal with. It is hard enough going through puberty, discovering who you are, dealing with homework and good grades all whilst transitioning to adulthood. As a society, we have added numerous other stresses like relationships, sexuality and social media. Additionally, these stresses become triggers for adolescent mental health issues. One of the most taboo areas of mental health in adolescents is self-harm.