Self-Harm Danger Signs And How To React To Them

Hearing about youngsters engaging in self-harm is becoming more common and it’s a very real problem and recognized issue in schools. This behavior should never be dismissed or minimized as "attention seeking", because when someone hurts their body it’s a sign of something being very wrong.  Knowing the danger signs of self-harm and how to react to them, will save lives and make it easier to identify when a young person you know could be in real trouble.

What Is Self-Harm?

Self-injury is also referred to as self-harm, and it is the act of deliberately hurting or harming oneself. The most common types are cutting or burning the skin and it is typically not meant as an attempted suicide. Rather, self-harm is an unhealthy manner to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration.

It provides only temporary release and soon the painful emotions return. Along with self-harm comes the chance of more grave and even lethal self-harming activities. Because people engage in self-harm impulsively, it is considered to be an impulse-control behavioral problem. Self-harm could be linked to a wide array of different mental health disorders, such as eating disorders, borderline personality disorder and/or depression.

Symptoms Of Self-Harming

There are many signs and symptoms of self-harm and the most common ones include the following:

• Scars, which could be from cutting or burning the skin
• Broken bones
• Fresh cuts, gashes, bruises and/or other unexplainable sores and wounds
• Keeping sharp instruments on hand
• Puncturing the skin with a sharp object
• Head banging
• Pulling out one’s own hair
• Persistently picking at or poking at an open wound that delays healing
• Biting
• Becoming withdrawn or seeming depressed
• Wearing long sleeves to hide cuts or wounds on the arms, even when the weather is very hot
• In school-aged youngsters, they may try to look for an excuse to avoid wearing shorts or short sleeves and avoid activities such as swimming and physical education

Most often, the arms, legs and front of the torso are the most common areas targeted for self-harm, because they can be easily reached and hidden under clothes. However, any area of the body can be used as a site for self-harm. People who engage in the behavior may use more than one part of the body and more than one method to hurt themselves.

What Causes Self-Harm?

There is no simple way to describe what causes someone to engage in self-destructive behaviors. There are many reasons someone could turn to self-harm and it is usually due to the person’s inability to cope and function with psychological pain in a healthy manner. Sometimes a person could be hiding feelings of anger, panic, rejection, inadequacy, worthlessness, loneliness, self-hate or a plethora of other issues.

READ What To Say (And Not To Say) To Someone With Depression

If a person participates in self-harm it may be that they are trying to do the following things:

• Feel a sense of control over their body, feelings and/or life in general
• Manage or alleviate some type of severe distress or anxiety and to provide a sense of relief
• As a form of distraction from painful emotions
• It provides a person with the ability to feel “something” when feeling empty or devoid of any emotion
• Express suppressed or internalized issues in an external way
• As a means of relieving the symptoms of depression
• To be punished for some sort of perceived faults

What Are The Risk Factors For Self-Harm?

There are certain factors that can raise a person’s risk of engaging in self-harm:

• Gender: Being a female puts a person at a higher risk of self-harm.
• Age: Most individuals who engage in self-harm are teens and young adults. However, those in other age groups can also self-harm. This behavior usually starts in the teen years, due to emotional volatility, peer pressure and a variety of other problems.
• Friends who engage in self-harm: People who hang around and associate with those who self-harm are more likely to begin to do it themselves.
• Personal problems: Some individuals who self-harm were sexually, physically and/or emotionally abused or suffered from childhood neglect. Traumatic events and growing up in an unhealthy/unsafe environment may result in a young person being insecure and participating in self-harm.
• Mental illness: Many people who self-harm are more likely to be impulsive, explosive and highly judgmental of themselves. Additionally, self-harm is most often associated with certain mental illnesses such as borderline personality disorder, depression, eating disorders, anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Excessive use of drugs and/or alcohol: People who practice self-harm many times will do it under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

How You Can Help Someone Who Self-Harms

If you know someone you love is engaged in self-harm, the first step is to confront them in a loving and non-judgmental manner. Talking about self-harm can be very intimidating and some victims may feel ashamed of what they are doing to themselves. Having someone take the initiative and ask them openly about their problem may feel embarrassing at first, but it can also be a big relief that allows them to be open about their situation.

Deciding who they can trust with this sensitive information is going to be very hard. However, if you confront the person gently and with concern, the individual may feel less threatened and relieved to get their problem out into the open. Eventually, self-harming behavior becomes so overwhelming, a person will grow weary of the issue and wish to open up and talk about it to others, but that is very hard to do.

Prognosis

If you or someone you love is participating in self-harm and wants to change, it can happen through opening up about your problems to someone you love and trust. Being open about what you are doing will allow you to find a healthy outlet for your suppressed emotions. There are many support groups and treatment programs that specialize in helping someone heal from self-harm, but you have to take the initiative to make that happen.

READ Addictions and Self-Judgment

Let go of your fears and express what you are feeling, don’t carry around self-hate and shame any longer, because your life can change.  Talk to someone today about your self-harm problem, because with time, therapy and professional help your life can get better. Never let the chance go by to try to help someone who needs it most, because saving a life is an invaluable thing.