Nonsuicidal Selfinjury

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

In order to prevent future violent situations, people need to be educated about why youth self harm. When people self harm they may feel like they have lost touch with reality, “They say it eases their pain. That it clears their minds and makes them feel calm. But to those on the outside looking in, slicing your arm with a razor blade is the stuff of horror movies” (Galley). School violence is overtaking headlines, and teens are struggling with untreated mental illnesses, “Federal health officials recommended universal mental health screenings for students nearly a decade ago, they still aren’t required” (Kennedy). Schools would rather suspend or send mentally ill youth to an alternative program, then helping the student get the resources they

In today’s world, a decent amount of teenagers and some adults have a tendency to be take part in nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors (NSSI). In the book The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne we observe a similar ordeal with Reverend Dimmesdale. In the novel, Dimmesdale decides to punish and self-harm himself for his sins. Dimmesdale committed adultery with Hester Prynne, so Dimmesdale now feels the need to harm himself for his problems and sins. We can observe similar features from Dimmesdale in modern self-harmers as they punish themselves as well. Modern day self-harmers and Dimmesdale seem to show many similarities in the following criteria: methods used when harming themselves, characteristics of the person,

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

Individuals sometimes turn to nonsuicidal self-injury (NNSSI) to stop bad feelings or to just simply generate a sense of feelings. However, research regarding childhood abuse potentially leading to NSSI is scarce. Weinrich and colleagues wanted to look at two PTSD side effect clusters as potential systems through which childhood abuse may being related to NSSI (Weinrich & Nock, 2008). The study included 86 adolescents who were primarily female Caucasians who had shown signs of childhood abuse. Sole purpose of this study was to examine correlated of the presence and frequency of NSSI. Therefore, both self-injurers and non-injurers were included in this study. It was hypothesized that individuals who had experienced childhood abuse may engage

Emma is a 15-year-old teenager diagnosed with bulimia nervosa. Partaking in episodes of binge eating, fasting and self- induced vomiting; Emma has a distorted perception regarding her weight and body image. Similarly, Ethan is a 16-year-old teenager diagnosed with Non- suicidal- self-injury (NSSI), who through repetitive cuts and burns to the body uses self- injury as an emotional regulatory strategy. Both Emma and Ethan were suggested Cognitive behavioral therapy as an effective treatment option.

Attention must also be given to previous self-harming behavior so that when the youth does not receive the optimum emotional relief desired, their patterns of behavior may escalate into suicide.

In a sample of study among community adolescents currently engaging in NSSI, Deliberto and Nock (2008) studied self-reported motives for NSSI onset and cessation and found out that perception of NSSI being an unhealthy and destructive behavior showed as the most common reason for wanting to stop. Fewer participants reported wanting to cease NSSI engagement because of fear of humilitiation, unwanted attention, embarrassment, and frustration to family and friends. Markedly, adolescents who stated that they first encountered the idea to self-injure from a friend were more likely to want to stop for social reasons. Moreover, in a master’s degree thesis completed by Sugimoto (2005), the results of his study identified specific factors and underlying mechanisms

When discussing suicide in class, we also learned about NSSI which is nonsuicidal self-injury. This is when someone hurts themselves physically without purposely trying to kill themselves. There are multiple explanations as to why someone would do this. One of the reasons, is to get attention from other people or use it as manipulation. In addition, a person might also do this to distract themselves from the emotional pain they are feeling. The physical injury gives them a sense of validation for the pain that they are experiencing on the inside. Lastly, the physical pain somehow lets them release their emotions.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a behavioral problem that happens when a person intentionally harms themselves repeatably by damaging and mutilating skin by cutting, burning, or hitting, etc., without the purpose of committing suicide. NSSI was often viewed as a symptom of personality disorder, like borderline personality disorder since it involved self-injury behavior that would lead to suicide (Zetterqvist, 2015). However, in recent studies, people who did non-suicidal self-injury did not have borderline personality disorder (Zetterqvist, 2015). The issue revolving around NSSI is the fact that even though NSSI is done without the intentions of committing suicide, studies have shown that the behavioral problem is a possible risk factor

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).

Throughout the course of human history epidemic spurts of self-destructive behaviour have posed both pertinent philosophical and medical problems for societies all across the globe. Presently, in various ethnic communities spread across the world, rates of suicide, substance abuse, and other detrimental actions towards oneself display their highest rates among young people (CITE THIS). While much research has been facilitated on the vast degree and distribution of self-destructive behaviour, there continues to remain a vast disparity in the academic literature that focuses on the underlying causes of such action (CITE). My research will attempt to effectively contribute to this general lack of research-driven information through the

Non-suicidal self-injury is defined by the article as “the deliberate, direct, and self-inflicted destruction of body tissue resulting in immediate tissue damage, for purposes not socially sanctioned and without suicidal intent.” There are as many as twenty forms of self-injury, this term defining a spectrum of behaviors damaging the body. Up to 25% of youth participate or have participated in self-injury, whether it was only a few times or a continuous behavior. Although most people start self-injury around ages 14-16, some may begin earlier in middle childhood, or later in emerging adulthood. Most youth who participate in self-injury do not have suicidal intent, but rather are trying to sustain their life by giving themselves some “comfort.” However, those who self-injure or have a history of self-injury do have a higher risk of being suicidal.

Cutting and other forms of nonsuicidal self-injury are incredibly prevalent among American adolescents, which creates a significant responsibility for youth ministers and workers who wish to serve and protect their students to the best of their abilities. Based on the previously discussed motivations that drive many young teens to cutting, it is apparent that adolescents possess a specific set of needs that must be met in order for them to feel safe and contented. The first and possibly most important of these needs is the desire for human love and relationships. While parental love and support is the most important and influential of these relationships, other relationships are important as well, such as friendships with peers. Teens also constantly seek for hope beyond