Self-Mutilation

What is Self-Mutilation?

All forms of intentional harm caused to oneself without the wish to die is defined as Self Mutilation. The most common form of self-mutilation is cutting one's skin with razors or knives. The incidents of self-mutilation have been on the rise since the early 1990s and have been the cause of major public concern. It has been estimated that about 0.8% of Americans practice self-mutilation.

The highest incidents of self-mutilation is seen on teenage females and patients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder or dissociative disorders. Out of all these people, over 50% of them have been sexually abused as children and there is a high probability that they suffer from eating disorders too. There is no relation that can be derived between self-mutilation and suicide although statistics reveal that about 50% of the individuals who hurt themselves have attempted suicide at some point in their lives. Researchers believe that suicide attempts reflect feelings of hopeless and rejection while self-mutilation is a result of feeling shame or guilt or in same cases a way to relieve tension.

The symptoms of self-mutilation include wearing long-sleeved baggy clothing even in sweltering weather. The need of privacy in these individuals is much higher and they also show signs of depression.

Causes of Self-Mutilation

Although, there are no set rules as to why somebody causes self-injury, some of the theories that have been proposed are:

• Self-mutilation serves as outlet for strong negative emotions like shame, guilt and anger especially in the cases when the individual is scared to express their feelings to others.
• Many individuals have reported that self-mutilation has helped them relieve unbearable tension or anxiety.
• Individuals also adopt self-mutilation when they direct anger on somebody else to themselves.
• Some individuals use self-mutilation as a mechanism to attract attention or assistance in an indirect way.
• Some scientists believe that a problem with the serotonin system of the brain may incline some people towards self-mutilation by making them more aggressive and impulsive when compared to other people. Causing injury to self causes the brain to release endorphins which reduces the level of distress but also starts a vicious cycle as the body of the individual increases its desire for endorphins.

Treatment for Self-Mutilation

The most prominent danger with self-mutilation is that it tends to become an addictive behavior that is very difficult to stop. Help from a qualified professional is almost always a necessity. Some of the initial forms of treatment that the individual can start along with the therapy are:

• Self relaxation techniques can be used to reduce the tension and stress that the individual feels before a self-mutilation incident.
• Group therapy is an excellent way to reduce the guilt or shame that leads to self-injury as it helps the individual express their fears among people who feel the same.
• Family therapy is also important as it can help address any family related stress issues along with helping all the family members understand each other and communicate with each other directly.
• The individuals can request their therapists to prescribe antidepressants or antianxiety medications that will help minimize the initial response to the stress or anxiety.
• An alternative and a very effective form of treatment is mediation that helps individuals who cause harm to themselves identify and control their feelings.
• Along with all the above modes of treatment, a comparatively newer form of treatment is an in-patient hospitalization treatment that helps the individual get better with a multi-disciplinary team approach.

Prognosis and Prevention

The presence and severity of other emotional disorders, history of sexual abuse and suicide attempts greatly affects that prognosis of self-mutilation. It has been observed that cases where the abuse has been minimal or absent has seen the best prognosis while patients who have attempted suicide or are diagnosed with borderline personality disorder suffer from the worst prognosis. It is very sad to note that factors that can help reduces the cases of self-mutilation are generally beyond the control of the common man. With the very high rate of sexual abuse that we see in our children, it is not surprising that we see such alarming growth in the self-mutilation cases. We have to always be on our toes to protect our children from all harm and always talk to them whenever we find something amiss. Lastly, we all need to hope and pray for a better tomorrow.