Self-Injury Disorder (SID) refers to pain or injury intentionally and compulsively inflicted on one's own body without the intent of committing suicide. It is usually present when a person is trying to cope with emotional stress. SID is also referred to as Self-Inflicted Violence (SIV) or Self Injurious Behavior (SIB).
Symptoms of Self-Injury Disorder
The typical observable behaviors that a person with this disorder displays include:
%26bull; cutting%26bull; scratching
%26bull; burning
%26bull; punching self
%26bull; bruising or breaking bones
%26bull; hair pulling
%26bull; head banging
%26bull; scab picking
%26bull; self biting
%26bull; puncturing the skin with objects
%26bull; swallowing corrosive chemicals, batteries, pins%26hellip;
This injury may be aimed at relieving otherwise unbearable emotions, sensations of unreality and numbness, or for other reasons.
Psychiatrists still disagree whether self-injury is a diagnosis or a symptom of a disorder. One thing is certan though - self-injurers suffer shame and isolation. It is estimated that self-injurers comprise at least 1% of the population, with a higher proportion being female, and nearly half admitting to being victims of physical and/or sexual abuse in childhood. That is a great number!
Risk factors for developing SID
A number of social or psychological factors have been linked with self-harm. People experiencing various forms of mental illnesses are considered to be at higher risk of self-harming.
Key issues are:
%26bull; Depression
%26bull; Phobias
%26bull; conduct disorders
%26bull; Substance
%26bull; Impulsivity
%26bull; Hopelessness
%26bull; Aggression
%26bull; Asperger's
%26bull; Abuse during childhood
%26bull; Troubled parental or partner relationships
%26bull; Factors such as war, poverty, and unemployment
Possible causes of developing SID
In most cases there is no simple reason why people intentionally injure themselves.
Each abuser has their own reason for this kind of behavior.
People often do so to relieve anger, because they are under pressure, suffer from depression, or feel guilt or shame. SID has also been linked to people who are victims of abuse or neglect and those who do not receive adequate protection People who harm themselves can be: male or female; straight, gay, or bisexual; high-school kids or students; rich or poor; from any country in the world. Their ages range from early teens to early 60s.
Purpose of self-injuring
There are several theories which tried to explain this disorder.
%26bull; It reduces physiological and psychological tension rapidly
Several studies have suggested that some people get emotionally pleased by injuring themselves. This act supposedly brings their levels of psychological and physiological tension and arousal back to a bearable baseline level. All this tension relieving happens almost immediately
%26bull; Some people never get a chance to learn how to cope effectively
A factor that seems to be common among people who self-injure is invalidation. Most of them were taught at an early age that their interpretations of the things around them were wrong. In abusive homes, they may have been severely punished for expressing certain thoughts and feelings. Although a history of abuse is common about self-injurers, not everyone who self-injures was abused. Sometimes invalidation and lack of role models for coping are enough.
%26bull; Problems with neurotransmitters may play a role
It is well known fact that neurotransmitter serotonin has a big role in depression development and some scientists think that problems with seratonin levels may also predispose some people to self-injury, aggressive and impulsive behaviour. With time this aggression, combined with a belief that their feelings are bad or wrong, can lead to the aggression being turned on the self.
Diagnosis of Self-Injury Disorder
If an individual shows signs of self-injury, a mental health professional with self-injury expertise should be consulted. The mental health professional will be able to make an evaluation and recommend a course of treatment. Self-injury can be a symptom of psychiatric illness including:
%26bull; Personality disorders (particularly borderline personality disorder)
%26bull; Bipolar disorder
%26bull; Major depression
%26bull; Anxiety disorders (particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder)
%26bull; Schizophrenia
%26bull; Obsessive-compulsive disorder
Treatment of Self-Injury Disorder
Psychotherapy
This form of therapy can successfully be used to help a person stop engaging in self-injury.
Post-traumatic stress therapies
These therapies may be helpful for self-injurers who have a history of abuse or incest.
Group therapy
Talking about the condition in a group of people who have similar problems may be helpful in decreasing the shame associated with self-harm, and in supporting healthy expression of emotions.
Family therapy
This type of therapy addresses any history of family stress related to the behavior and can help family members learn to communicate more directly and non-judgmentally with each other.
Hypnosis and other self-relaxation techniques
These approaches are helpful in reducing the stress and tension that often precede incidents of self-injury. Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication may be used to reduce the initial impulsive response to stress.
DBT
DBT or Dialectical behavioral therapy can be very successful for those with a personality disorder, and could potentially be used for those with other mental illnesses who exhibit self-harm behavior.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This form of therapy is generally used to assist those with diagnoses such as depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Diagnosis and treatment of the causes is thought by many to be the best approach to self-harm. In some cases however, especially with a personality disorder patients, this is not very effective, which is why more clinicians are starting to take a DBT approach in order to reduce the behavior itself. CBT may be used to help an individual learn to recognize and address triggering feelings in healthier ways.
Coping skills
A person who is self-injuring may be advised to use coping skills, such as journaling or taking a walk, when they have the urge to harm themselves.
They may also be told to avoid having the objects they use to harm themselves within easy reach.
Difficulties with treatment
There are some difficulties in achieving appropriate and effective treatment. Self-injury brings out many uncomfortable feelings in people who are not affected by this disorder: revulsion, anger, fear, and distaste. If the medical professional is unable to cope with her own feelings about self-harm, then they have an obligation to her client to find a practitioner willing to do this work.
How to cope with self-injuring kids?
Kids are especially difficult to treat and research has proven that teachers are often the first people to recognize this disorder when a child displays it, even before parents. The best thing a teacher can do is let the child know that they are there to listen to whatever it is that they want to tell the teacher. Students should also be encouraged to talk to their parents about their problems, although most of them will not be willing to, thinking that their parents will become angry with them.
Every good teacher should keep in mind that he or she should:
%26bull; Have predictable and familiar routines so it doesn't set the child off
%26bull; Have organized and structured transitions
%26bull; Have flexibility in the classroom so the student can be taken out of class if a situation comes up that makes them angry or depressed
Prognosis
The prognosis is difficult because it depends upon a person's emotional or psychological state. It is important to determine the factors or any pre-existing personality disorder that causes the self-injuring needs to be treated.
Posts
