When a Loved One Is Self-Injuring

While self-harm seems like it would be visible and noticeable in your loved one, the truth is that those who self-harm are often skilled at hiding their self-mutilation from those that care for them. By understanding some of the symptoms of self-injury, you will be in a better position to get your loved one the treatment that he or she needs.
(more…)

Self-Harm and a Break-Up

For many people who are unable to express their emotions and thoughts clearly, self-harm seems like a way to express pain. The symptoms of self-harm, much like the acts themselves, can vary greatly between individuals, but many patients require help to recover completely.
(more…)

Self-Abuse and Addiction: A Vicious Cycle

Self-abuse is a misunderstood behavior that many people are not aware of, but it is estimated by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that almost three million people in the United States engage in this destructive behavior. Measurable statistics are difficult to determine, as self-abuse is often just one component of a larger problem that may also involve drug abuse or addiction.
(more…)

Self-Mutilation and Substance Abuse Help

Self-mutilation, also called self-harm, is a compulsive behavioral disorder that causes a person to cut or otherwise hurt him or herself. Contrary to common opinion most people with this disorder are not suicidal or simply seeking attention. They suffer from a serious psychological disorder that, if left untreated, may lead to additional problems including substance abuse and depression.
(more…)

Self-Injury and Addiction

Addiction is dangerous and it does harm the body. It is important to be aware of how self-injury contributes to the addiction cycle.

What Is Self-Injury or Self-Harm?

Self-injury occurs when a person intentionally harms his or her own body. Self-injury is usually used as a way to cope with uncomfortable or distressing emotions and thoughts. It can be a repetitive behavior and some people describe becoming addicted to self-injury. There are thousands of ways to engage in self-harm. (more…)

Help for Alcohol Abuse and Self Harm

Self-harm and alcohol abuse is a deadly combination. Although some people who injure themselves do not intend to commit suicide, alcohol abuse combined with self-harm can lead to increasingly dangerous situations.

Why Do People Harm Themselves?

Para-suicidal behavior (actions that can lead to suicide, but that are not deadly) and self-inflicting harm is common among those that suffer from Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD. Self-injury can also happen when a person is depressed or suffering from PTSD or bipolar disorder. People who self-injure often describe it as a way to cope with difficult emotions. People who self-harm usually are not suicidal, but self-harm can lead to suicide, overdose and other dangerous life-threatening situations.
(more…)

Treatment and Counseling for Self-Harm

Self-harm is different for every person it affects. Self-harm (also known as self-injury and self-mutilation) may begin as a way to cope with stress, overwhelming issues or past trauma. There are countless ways people harm themselves. Cutting, bruising, burning and hair pulling are among the most common ways people self-harm. While self-injury may make individuals feel different for short periods of time, the relief never lasts and painful feelings return. The cycle of self-injury, followed by brief relief and then deeper pain can become a dangerous and never-ending cycle if left untreated.
(more…)

Types of Self-injury

Self-injury, self-inflicted violence, self-injurious behavior or self-mutilation is defined as a deliberate, intentional injury to one’s own body that causes tissue damage or leaves marks for more than a few minutes which is done to cope with an overwhelming or distressing situation. Statistics show that self-harm is more common amongst girls who begin this addiction in their early teens and may continue into their adulthood. But there are guys that have been known to inflict self-injury. (more…)

Signs and Symptoms of Self-injury

Patients who self-injure can be as young as 12-years-old and can continue well into adulthood. More and more, kids are learning about the means and methods of how to induce self-injury to help control their emotional pain. Cutting, for instance, is the most common because it can be easily covered up.

It’s more common amongst girls to have these types of addictions but has been seen as boys as well. Children who self-injure will often battle with an eating disorder as well. (more…)

Self-Harm

Most addictions stem from a conscious or subconscious desire to ease pain, but what happens when the addiction itself involves the infliction of pain? Injuring yourself physically in an effort to relieve psychological pain seems like a contradiction. Yet for many, self-injury escalates into an addictive effort to cope with overwhelming negative emotions.
(more…)