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| Self-Injury And Mutilation |
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PTIMA
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| SELF-INJURY AND MUTILATION Self-Injury and Teens Any parent should be shocked to find out that his or her teenage daughter has cut parts of her body. An increasing number of parents are struggling with self-mutilation among teenagers. Self-injury and mutilation is an emerging serious social problem in which teenagers and young adults inflict pain and injury through practices, such as cutting and burning their bodies. Any parent should be shocked to find out that his or her teenage daughter has cut parts of her body. An increasing number of parents arestruggling with self-mutilation among teenagers. Self-mutilation is an emerging serious social problem in which teenagers and young adults inflict pain and injury through practices, such as cutting and burning their bodies. Self-mutilation, also known as self-harm, self-injury or cutting, occurs in teens and young adults of all sexes between the age of 15 and 35. However, those who seek help for self-injury are usually middle- and upper-class teenage girls. The practice is difficult to define and understand. Medically, self-injury may be linked to borderline personality disorder. It is also observed among teens and young adults with bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders and multiple personality disorders. The practice may be combined with the dangerous use of mind-altering substances such as alcohol and drugs which makes its management more difficult. SAMPLE CASE: (Although the names and specific situation is fictional, the basic facts of this story occur each and every day in the United States.) There is the case of Debbie Smith from an middle-class up-state New York family, who started self-mutilation at the age 15. Nearly every day Debbie would cut her arms and legs with a razor blade. She was under severe stress as she had just recently lost her mother, who was also her best friend. A couple years before her mother and father were divorced and home was no longer the same. Her mother remarried a man whom she hated because he was emotionally abusive to her mother. Debbie was not doing well in school and was threatened with repeating a grade if her scores did not improve. The first time Debbie cut her arm she found that she felt better emotionally. This became a regular habit at school and home, and the practice was only discovered one morning when the groundskeeper at her school found her blacked out from excessive bleeding. Breaking bones Self-mutilation may take many forms - from cutting, burning, breaking bones, bruising, hair pulling to picking at the skin to create wounds and preventing them from healing. In extreme major cases, it may involve the amputation of the legs and genitals. Self-mutilation results from teenagers' inability to deal with stresses and intense emotions associated with teenage development. Unknown to parents, many teenagers experience feelings of aloneness and loneliness. Teens may also experience anger, anxiety or sadness, and when they cannot find emotional support or an outlet for free expression, pressure builds up and they inflict pain and injury to their bodies. In effect, they use physical pain to blot out emotional pain to protect them from more emotional hurt. Low self-esteem Other reasons teenagers and young adults cite for self-injury are low self-esteem, unresolved cases of sexual, emotional and physical abuse, the need to feel in control and to get the attention of people who can offer help. Self-mutilation, especially cutting, is becoming trendy. Teens may give in to peer pressure to be identified as a 'cutter' and to be part of the 'in-crowd'. Curiosity of what self-mutilation entails may lead teenagers to try the practice. A teenage self-mutilator may be a perfectionist who is expected to live up to certain performance standards set by parents and peers. When it becomes difficult to meet the standards, this leads to sadness and depression. In other instances, teens may face huge disappointments in areas of their lives. Parental role What can parents or caregivers do to help their children who are about to practise or are practising self-mutilation? The tendency is to dismiss it as something that will pass but parents have to be very vigilant and watch for signs, such as withdrawing and a strong desire to be alone, bloodstains on the inside of clothing, unexplained cuts, burns, bruises and scratches, being embarrassed or ashamed about the injuries when discovered, and making excuses for them, wearing baggy clothing, long sleeves, long pants even in hot weather, eating disorders and low sense of self. Frequent use of bandages, cotton, ointments and frequent disposal of razors are other telltale signs. Very often, teenagers with tattoo or body piercings may be accused of being self-mutilators, but these fashionable practices are not always typical of self-mutilators. Parents should invest in spending quality time with their children, listening keenly as they talk with them. Even with hectic schedules, parents should make time to talk with their children, picking up clues from what they say and offer help where needed. Parents should not be judgemental in what they hear. At times, it is best to delay the response, which should come with honesty, help and counsel. Recreation Apart from providing the material trappings for their children, parents should get involved in the lives of their teenagers. Parents should take part in recreational activities with their children, like watching a movie, playing a game or musical instrument or exercising. Parents should assure children of their support when they need it. The use of humour is useful to help make conversations flow and reduce tensions that teenagers and young adults may be experiencing. Parents should also discourage children from viewing websites that promote self-injury, and encourage them to associate with friends who are positive influences. Raising teenagers and young adults today is not only challenging but scary for parents and other caregivers. Self-mutilation, though weird and frightening, is a practice that parents will have to understand as a cry for help as they guide their children's development to adulthood. SELF-INJURY AND MUTILATION IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AND SOMETIMES DEADLY FORM OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. IT IS ALWAYS ADVISABLE TO CONTACT A MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL WHEN SIGNS OF THIS DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR EXIST. |
| THE MOST COMMON MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL DISORDERS |
| The information provided on these pages are intended as a educational public service. New studies often change our understanding of how to diagnose and treat these illnesses and direct contact with the appropriate, licensed mental health professional prior to treatment is always reccomended. |