Self Mutilation

Self Mutilation

What is self mutilation?

Self mutilation/Self harming is the direct and intentional injuring of parts of the body. It is often done without suicidal intention.

Although all areas of the body can be used for self injury, the most common place is on the arms and legs because these areas can be easily reached and hidden under clothing. People who self injure use more than one method to hurt themselves.

One of the most common form of self-injury is cutting, which involves making cuts or scratches on parts of your body.

What are some signs and symptoms of Self-Mutilation?

• Scars from burns or cuts

• Fresh cuts,scratches or bruises

• Broken bones

• Keeping sharp object on hand

• Wearing long sleeves or long pants, even in the summer

• Claiming to have frequent "accidents"

• Behavioral and emotional instability

• Statements of helplessness,hopelessness or worthlessness

“The Interdisciplinary National Self-Injury in Youth Network Canada (INSYNC) found that 83.2 percent of teens had reported at least one episode of self-injury and 40 percent of those teens had harmed themselves repeatedly.”

Long-term effects Cutting your skin can have serious consequences. For example, if you cut your wrist, continually cutting your wrist there is a possibility of you cutting an important nerve in your wrist it can result in permanent numbness/weakness in your hand and over a period of time can get worse and become your whole arm.

Self-Mutilation Bibliography

"TeensHealth." Cutting. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/feeling_sad/cutting.html>.

"Negative Body Image." Teen Health and Wellness. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012 <http://teenhealthandwellness.com/article/245/negative-body-image>

"Self-Mutilation (Cutting)." Teen Health and Wellness. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012 <http://teenhealthandwellness.com/article/294/self-mutilation-cutting>

http://www.safa-selfharm.org.uk/M%20&%20F.htm

What are some resources people could obtain to get help with Self-Mutilation?

What are some effects of Self-Mutilation?

Develop compulsive behavior

Could lead to suicide or eventually accidental death

Cuts can get so deep which may lead to being hospitalized

Cut areas can get infected and cause tissue damage

The brain & body gets used to the harm plus craves for it when emotionally taken over, and it becomes impossible to stop

The troubles still remain, just masked over.

Who suffers from Self-Mutilation?

Only means cutting

FAMOUS PERSON

There are rumors from tabloids that Winehouse has a past history with self-injury, with a cutting incident at the age of nine that she found painful. She reportedly said, "It's a funny thing, a morbid curiosity. I'm talking about when I was nine. What does that feel like? 'Ow, that fucking hurts.' It's probably the worst thing I've done," In Spin.com video Winehouse scrached her exposed midriff with a shard of broken mirror when posing for photographer Terry Richardson. In the same video her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, asked her, "What did you think about the broken glass?" Winehouse replied, "I wrote 'I love Blake' on my tummy." She lifted her shirt but the cuts were not visible on the video and said, "It's just chicken scratch," while she and Fielder-Civil laughed. Spin.com has reported that Winehouse and Fielder-Civil "have matching crisscross scars and scratches up and down their left arms," though it also said the marks are "presumably from a misbehaving house cat."

On August 23, 2007 Winehouse was seen stumbling the streets with her husband; she was bloody and bruised. It was reported she told blogger, Perez Hilton, "I was cutting myself after he found me in our room about to do drugs with a call girl and rightly said I wasn't good enough for him. I lost it and he saved my life." Her parents-in-law said, after the incident, to boycott her music and stop giving her awards.

Amy Winehouse died July 23, 2011 as a result of alcohol poisoning at the age of twenty-seven.

MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS

People who self-harm aren't usually trying to kill themselves. For many it's a coping mechanism used to survive - not die. Just because you self-harm, it doesn't mean you are suffering from a severe mental illness, either. Although there is a relationship between self-harm and suicide, many more people self-harm than kill themselves - it's the feelings behind the stress they want to get rid of. However, some people who self-harm also have suicidal feelings, or are not sure if they want to live or die as a result of an episode of self-harm. In addition, some forms of self-harm can lead to accidental death.

Self-injury generally provides temporary relief to intense emotional pain. Suicide is obviously a permanent solution to emotional and/or physical suffering. The damage done from self-injurious behaviors typically does not require medical intervention and is rarely lethal. Most of the people who intentionally hurt themselves never seek medical treatment and keep their injuries hidden. Those who attempt suicide often need medical intervention and the results of the suicide attempt are intended to be lethal.

One other difference between self-injury and suicide is that suicide is often attempted/contemplated while the individual is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Most of the time, when people self-injure they are not using any substances.