Friday, August 14, 2009
Self-injury
Self-injury is the act of deliberately destroying body tissue, at times to change a way of feeling. The causes and severity of self-injury can vary. Some forms may include:
- carving
- scratching
- branding
- marking
- picking, and pulling skin and hair
- burning/abrasions
- cutting
- biting
- head banging
- bruising
- hitting
- excessive body piercing
Some adolescents may self-mutilate to take risks, rebel, reject their parents' values, state their individuality or merely be accepted. Others, however, may injure themselves out of desperation or anger to seek attention, to show their hopelessness and worthlessness, or because they have suicidal thoughts. These children may suffer from serious psychiatric problems such as depression, psychosis, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Bipolar Disorder. Additionally, some adolescents who engage in self-injury may develop Borderline Personality Disorder as adults.
Self-injury is a complex behavior and symptom that results from a variety of factors. Adolescents who have difficulty talking about their feelings may show their emotional tension, physical discomfort, pain and low self-esteem with self-injurious behaviors. Although some teenagers may feel like the steam in the pressure cooker has been released following the act of harming themselves, others may feel hurt, anger, fear and hate. The effects of peer pressure can also influence adolescents to injure themselves. Even though fads come and go, the wounds on the adolescents' skin might be permanent.
John DeVries ©
