Most of us perform daily habits that keep us safe and healthy.  We take our vitamins, we put on our seatbelts, we eat healthy.  This is often why the idea of self-injuring oneself can feel so foreign to some of us.  We make conscious decisions every day to heal ourselves and become better, not the other way around.  

This is why “this is a behavior that’s very hard for people to get inside and empathize with. But it isn’t something that a person can just stop; it’s something that needs to be understood” (Steingard).  As we dig deeper into the reasons behind cutting, how we can understand and how we can help those that self-harm become more clear.

Cutting behaviors are often known as self-injury where the person purposely harms the surface of their body.  This behavior usually combines a level of dissociation along with a release of endorphins.  Instead of pain, they feel a “high”.  This feeling “is the physiological reaction to the release of endorphins – the masking of pain by a substance that mimics morphine”.  This is what allows the person to escape from a moment and not feel the pain associated with hurting themselves. (Alderman)

Self-harming happens in both men and women and can be seen on arms, legs, or even their face.  If a person is a cutter, it can be hard to reach them, which is why it is very important to understand the meaning behind this action.  The reasons for cutting often go much deeper than the surface injury and are often in relation to larger, more complicated issues that need to be resolved.

Treatment

Ideally, professional assistance is required in order to learn better coping skills, increasing their self-esteem, and learning to love themselves.  In addition, treatments can include family therapy, psychotherapy, medication, and psychiatric hospitalization.

When does family therapy help?

When one or more of the following are occurring with the family or at home:

• Frequent fighting
• Job loss
• Loss of a loved one
• Extreme emotional reactions
• Low communication
• Threat of violence

What coping skills can be done at home?

Passive coping skills:

• Reading
• Drawing
• Writing
• Listening to music

Active coping skills:

• Meditation
• Yoga
• Hitting a pillow
• Making loud noises

How does psychotherapy help?

Psychotherapy can come in the form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, and Mindfulness-based Therapies.  

Psychotherapy can help by teaching skills to:

• Manage self-harming triggers
• Manage stress
• Boost self-esteem
• Increase positive thinking
• Effectively problem-solve

What about medications?

Although there is no specific medication for self-harm, there are a myriad of medications that can help with the underlying issues that are causing the self-harm, such as anxiety and depression.

When is hospitalization necessary?

If self-harm becomes a habit or is done severely, it may be recommended that hospitalization take place.  Hospitalization provides you or your loved one with a safe, non-threatening place to receive the care that they need.

Even though someone who self-injures may not mean to cause a life-threatening injury, it is possible for them to do so when committing these acts and increase the risk factor for suicide.

Due to the high risks involved with self-injury, it is important that we all become more educated on the issue so that we can better see the signs and better help those who are in need.