Self Mutilation

Self mutilation has become a more common practice of late, with as many as one in every 200 teen girls involved in this type of behavior. While the rate of self mutilation tends to be seen in girls more often, some teen boys and adults also practice a form of self injury. There is often a high degree of shame and embarrassment over acts of self mutilation, leading most to try to hide the behaviors from parents, friends and teachers. However, letting someone know what you are doing is the first step to finding alternative ways of responding to stress and frustration in life.

Some who practice self mutilation are afraid they are “crazy” or can’t cope with daily life. However, self mutilation is not a symptom of insanity. Instead, it is often a result of not knowing proper ways to cope with stressful events, anger towards a situation or person or anxiety. Many who practice self mutilation were abused as children, and others deal with a need for perfectionism or control. Most find that by talking to a therapist about the underlying causes of the self mutilation, they can stop the behavior and find healthier ways to react to challenging life situations.

What Self Mutilation Looks Like

There are many methods of self mutilation. One of the most common is consistently cutting your skin with a sharp object like a knife, razor blade or piece of broken glass. Another method is burning, by touching the skin with a hot lighter or piece of metal. Some also pull out hair, bite themselves or pick at the skin until a wound develops. In many cases, these behaviors help the person feel “alive”, or take away the acute stress or fear that is felt in response to a difficult event.

Self mutilation does not typically involve body piercings or tattoos; instead a person who practices self mutilation will go to great lengths to hide their habit. This may include refusing to change clothes in a public place, wearing long sleeves and pants even in summer and insisting on doing their own laundry. Most kids involved in self mutilation come from middle-class to upper-class homes and many have two professional parents. They don’t try to make “trouble” for others; but instead, internalize their feelings until they build up into these self destructive behaviors.

Help for Self Mutilation

If you have been hurting yourself in ways described here, the first step is to tell someone you trust. Most teens who self mutilate can learn better ways of dealing with difficulties with the help of a professional therapist. In some cases treatment might simply involve talk therapy, but other cases might require medication or hospitalization. Some teens also find that alternative therapies like hypnosis and relaxation techniques to be highly effective. The most important step to recovery is to tell someone you trust what is going on in your life so you can get the help you need to find healthier ways of dealing with tough situations.