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Self-Abusive Behaviors

Thu, 02/01/2007 - 12:30am — Will

Self-Abusive Behaviors also referred to as self-injurious behavior or self-mutilation is the term used to describe deliberate, repetitive, impulsive, and non-lethal harming of one’s body. The most common of these behaviors is cutting, scratching, burning, hair pulling, insertion of foreign objects, and bruising or bone breaking. Other “socially acceptable” activities such as alcohol and substance abuse, and internalizing activities such as eating disorders are also considered self-abusive. If you think someone you know has an alcohol or substance abuse problem or has an eating disorder, treatment should be sought immediately. While there is a positive correlation between substance abuse, eating disorders and self-abuse, substance abuse and eating disorders are separate categories.

Who self-abuses?
The roughly one percent of the population who self-abuses consists mainly of women. Onset usually occurs around puberty and could last into adulthood. This population mainly consists of individuals of average to high intelligence, from a middle to upperclass background, and have very low self-esteem. Self-abuse is also an action of an individual diagnosed with an emotional, behavioral or mental health disorder, such as bipolar, personality disorders, or even anxiety disorders. Adolescents diagnosed with mental retardation or autism may also show these behaviors. Nearly half report some physical and/or sexual abuse during childhood, and that they were discouraged from expressing emotions. Most often, the injury is covered by clothing, or explained away as an accident like “the cat scratched me”.

Why do people self-abuse?
Those with an emotional, behavioral or mental health disorder have explained these actions as a way to see their emotional pain. Other reasons adolescents may self-injure is to take risks, rebel, reject their parents’ values, state their individuality or merely be accepted. Others may do it to seek out attention for help or do it out of anger. They may do it to show their hopelessness, their feelings of worthlessness, or because they may have suicidal thoughts. Some individuals have reported they self-injure because they feel empty inside, are unable to express feelings, or feel lonely or misunderstood. Other traumatic situations can lead to self-abuse as well, such as loss of a loved one, loss of freedom, problems in a personal relationship, or miscarriage or unwanted pregnancy. Physical, sexual or verbal abuse, or neglect can also lead to self-abuse. These situations can cause feelings of self-hate, fear, anger, and low self-respect.

A KPFC Youth Council member explained her actions as “…a way to see pain from the inside on the outside”.

For the family
While it is common for people who self-abuse to have suicidal thoughts, the self-abuse itself is not usually the attempt.It is merely a way to externalize an internal emotion. It is possible for the individual to commit suicide by accident, however, by cutting too deep or causing too many other injuries. Parents and other individuals close to the person should encourage him or her to discuss feelings and emotions. Parents should also act as a role model by not self-abusing themselves, and by teaching their children to respect their own bodies. Another tip is for the individual to find something else to do with their hands such as writing in a journal, writing poems or stories, or drawing and painting. More tips on how to avoid injury while feeling the need to self-abuse are listed on the next page.

Treatment
If someone you know is displaying signs of self-abuse, a mental health professional with expertise in self-abusive behaviors should be consulted. An evaluation or assessment is the first step, then a treatment course will be recommended. Recommended treatment courses could include outpatient therapy, and some hospitalization. If these self-abusive behaviors are interfering with daily living, such as employment, school or relationships, and/or are life threatening, a specialized self-abuse hospital program with experienced staff is recommended. Treatment will most likely consist of some medication, cognitive/behavioral therapy, and maybe supplemented by other services as needed, such as services for alcohol or substance abuse and eating disorders.

Resources for Self-Abusive Behaviors

* Many of these websites have more extensive lists of self-abusive actions, and how to combat the desire to self-abuse.

Ideas for what else to do besides self-abuse:
If you feel:
    Angry, frustrated, restless, try
  • Flattening aluminum cans as fast as you can
  • Hitting a punching bag
  • Ripping up old newspapers or phone books
  • Cutting or smashing clay models
  • Throwing ice against a brick wall hard enough to shatter it
  • Turning up the music and dancing
  • Running, jogging, or walking

    • Sad, melancholy, depressed, unhappy
  • Take a hot bath with bath oil or bubbles
  • Baby yourself somehow, like giving yourself a manicure or curling up under a soft, warm blanket
  • Listen to soothing music

    • Craving sensation, feeling unreal, dissociated
  • Squeeze ice hard
  • Use ice to make a cutting motion instead of something sharp
  • Bite into a hot pepper or ginger root
  • Rub liniment under your nose
  • Snap your wrist with a rubber band

    • Wanting focus
  • Do tasks like playing computer games such as tetris or minesweep, writing a computer program, etc.
  • Choose an object in the room, examine it carefully and write as detailed a description about it as possible
  • Choose a random object like a paper clip and try to think of 30 different uses for it

    • Wanting to see blood
  • Draw on yourself with a red felt tip pen
  • Put red food coloring into warm water in a squeeze bottle, when it’s mixed use the tip to “cut” where you want to cut

    • Wanting to see scars or pick scabs
  • Get a henna tattoo kit. Leave the tattoo on overnight so that the paste is dry. When it’s dry, you can pick it off like you would scabs, and leaves behind an orange-red mark.