Living with self harm Sometimes life can feel like it’s suffocating you. You can feel yourself getting pulled down into the abyss. The weight of the world Crushing you and forcing all the air out of your lungs. You can feel alone in the dark water. That is how it feels on the inside. On the outside things are seen so much differently. Some people are seen as happy and smiling while others seem ‘ normal’. However there are some that seem fake. This is how people dealing with self harm feel. As someone who has dealt with the loneliness and pain of self harm I would like to share with you the affects and health risks of self harm. Contrary to popular belief self harm is not only done for the attention of others. Sometimes it’s a way that people …show more content…
In Tony Dokoupil’s article about “the suicide epidemic” He talks about how suicide is the highest rate of “injury death” in the US and how the CDC believes that is surpasses the number of deaths from car crashes. He also goes on to quote Ralph Nader saying, “we have become our own greatest danger” (par 16). Suicidal thoughts and tendencies are also a heightened risk that could lead to serious injury or even death. For some self harm could be severely cutting or scratching their skin as well as burning or puncturing their skin with foreign objects, but others slam themselves into walls, hit things, or bang their head against something. All these things could be potentially dangerous because of the risk of brain damage, broken bones, and severe bleeding. Each of these things could either cause death, or hospitalization. Sometimes people also get addicted to self harm the way others get addicted to nicotine or drugs, if they go for long periods of time without hurting themselves in a way they deem fit they start going into withdrawals. However physical risks aren’t the only types of
Self-harm patients are at a risk for suicide whether this is an intended outcome or a result of self-harm gone wrong. 25% of people who commit suicide will have been seen in a hospital setting for a self harm injury in the past 12 months (Emerson, 2010). As well, 72% of suicide victims under the age of 25 have had a history or self-harm behavior (as sited in Cook, Clency, Sanderson, 2004). These statists provide a strong argument for the importance of vigilance and ongoing monitoring when providing care for clients who display self-harm behavior. This paper will argue the importance for close monitoring when caring for self harm but not necessarily the prevention of self harm itself. Vigilance and monitoring are important However there is evidence that complete preventions is not necessarily the best approach to self-harm (Duffin, 2006).
As the time goes by more and more psycologist and sociologists are concerned about the inclination of children and teenagers to harm themeselves. Self-harm which is the intentional self-poisoning or self-injury, with or without suicidal intent) in children and adolescents has been identified as a major problem in several countries. Much recent information on self-harm in young people has been based on surveys, usually in schools [3,4]. This has highlighted the extent of the problem at the community level. Most individuals who gain access to clinical care, however, have presented to hospital following-harm. However, only a minority of individuals who self-harm in the community present to hospital or any health facility .
Deliberate and repeated self-injuries are so common among adolescents that researchers have come to treat this phenomenon as a disorder—one that originates during adolescence. The DSM-V classification lists it as an independent nosological entity which takes on the form of deliberate self-mutilating without suicidal intentions (Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, NNSI). To better characterize their specific nature, six criteria have been distinguished. Criterion A refers to a specific frequency of self-destructive behaviors—for the disorder to be diagnosed, an individual must have engaged in deliberate self-injury (without suicidal intentions) on at least five days over the past year. Criterion B catalogs several effects of self-injury, at least one of
Self-harm is considered a major public health issue at present (Mental Health Foundation, 2006. Cleaver, 2007). The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) describes self-harm as ‘self-poisoning or self-injury, irrespective of the apparent purpose of the act’ (2004:16). The incidence of self-harm in young people appears to be increasing and there is a strong link between self-harm and increased risk of completed suicide (Cleaver, 2007). McDougall and Brophy (2006) produced a summary of the Mental Health Foundation publication, Truth Hurts, examining the implications for nurses and mental health professionals. They report that the incidence of self harm has risen by 30% since the 1980’s and that children are self-harming at
In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5) there are a number of disorders that are proposed as conditions for further study, including nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) disorder (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). According to the proposed diagnostic criteria, an individual must have engaged in self-injury behavior (e.g., cutting, burning, scraping) on the surface of their body, at least five times over the last year, without suicidal intent. Additionally, the self-injury is done with the intent of gaining relief from negative emotions and the individual experiences excessive thoughts about self-injury in the period of time before the act (APA, 2013). Since the DSM-5 was published, many studies
Research shows people engage in self-harm behind closed doors more often than one would imagine. Janis Whitlock a phd and psychologist, discovered in her research for the Cornell Research Program On Self-injury and Recovery, that self-inflicted harm is in fact, common. The article titled, “Who Self Injures?”, make that case prevalent that self-harm is common by drawing on the research of Whitlock and several other researchers’ findings and statistics on the subject. This article defines the type of self-injury that researchers have focused on, who typically engages in self-injury, and why they do.
Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior. Past occurrences may cause someone to act in a certain way, especially within social situations. Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) is a behavior in which a person commits an act with the purpose of physically harming themselves with or without real suicidal intent. Self-harm is most often related to going through trauma in childhood rather than as an adult. There are many reasons why people are known to self-harm; a lot of the time it is to help feel the pain they are feeling on the inside in another way. One of the reasons a person may self-harm is due to a high rate of childhood sexual or physical abuse within their past. Despite people’s beliefs, people who suffer from a self-harm disorder are not doing it for attention. If someone sees cuts or scars on someone’s wrists or legs, their immediate reaction is that it is from attention. In reality people who self-harm are not doing it for attention and a lot of the time these people take every precaution to hide the cuts to not be questioned about it. There has been research conducted on many aspects that tie into this behavior; research that involves both men and women, the outcomes of childhood abuse, and more. Together, these articles of research
When I first learned self harm, my opinion was that it was bad, and why would anyone do that, except now I understand. I got older and began to cut as my depression worsens and later my friend began to self harm. After looking at the risks that I and my friend took, I was so relieved that i'm still alive. I am no longer self harming, but only music and one of my friends help me the most and now i’m no longer self harming.
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
Suicide cases, over the past years, have grown to be an epidemic among several communities. Many people, both young and old, lose their lives through suicide. According to reports, the number of deaths keeps escalating every year. Suicide has been one of the greatest causes of untamed deaths in every society. What is depressing is that, many a time, one is not able to predict whether their loved ones may end up committing suicide. Sometimes, the way we perceive people is not the way they are. One may have a strong personality but their inner being is weakly. Therefore, when faced with challenges they end up taking their own lives. People give up their lives through mysterious ways such as poisoning, drowning, stabbing, and strangulation (Tony
Patricia McCormick once wrote, “She cuts herself never to deep, never to die. But enough to feel the pain, enough to feel the scream inside.” There are many reasons why people are known to self-harm; a lot of the time it is to help them feel the pain they are feeling on the inside in another way. When people discover self-harm can help them cope with what they are feeling they become addicted. Despite popular belief, people who suffer from a self-harm disorder are not doing it for attention, there people are sick; they cannot stop on command, and cannot often see that what they are doing is hurting their loved ones as well as themselves.
What is suicide? Suicide is “death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with an intent to die as a result of that behavior” (Definitions: Self-directed Violence. (n.d.)). Many people throughout the world have attempted and/or considered to commit suicide, sometime throughout his/her life. Considering suicide is a big deal, because it shows that something in your life is so wrong, that you are willing to take your own life away, just to feel better. According to the Center for Disease and Control, “ suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year. For every suicide among young people, it is estimated that there are at leas another 100 suicide attempts” (Young, 2012). There are things that happen in one’s life, which they feel they cannot recover from. This is a matter I hold deeply to my heart because I once tried to commit suicide. I know how it feels to hold something deep down, not being able to express how I feel, and feeling like there is nothing else I can do
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
In the United States, the economic cost of death by suicide was estimated to be more than $44 billion annually in 2010 (CDC, 2015). Besides the expenses on individuals who committed suicide, individuals who attempted suicide often require long-term medical attention. There are nearly 600,000 emergency room visits annually that are resulted from intentionally self-inflicted injuries (Pitts, Niska, Xu, & Burt, 2008). Gunnell, Bennewith, Hawton, Simkin, and Kapur (2005) report that 70% individuals who attempted suicide by hanging were alive when they reached hospital. It is estimated that approximately $6.3 billion was spent annually for serious injuries caused by suicide attempts (AFSP, 2015). This amount of money was spent on injuries caused by suicide attempt such as gunshot wound and
There are several different types of way to inflict self-harm or non-suicidal self-injury. It is deliberately harming yourself with your own body. Some of the ways that people in flaked self harm is by cutting, burning, scratching till they bleed, pulling hair, punching themselves, and some that are not listed there are more. When you look at the percentage of people who are inflicting self-harm on oneself it is saddening. 90% of the people to begin to do self harm are between the ages of 12 and 24. Almost 50% of those who inflict self-injury have been sexually abused in some way. Females in themselves make up about 60% of those who do self harm. Cutting is seen more common in teens through young adulthood as a cry out to help or to get a "high" from the pain. We you are dealing with one who