TSZ Magazine: July 2016 (Issue #2)

What is Self Harm?

By Amanda (AmandaTayteTait)

Self harm is defined as the deliberate injury to oneself, typically as a manifestation of a psychological or psychiatric disorder.

The most common form of self-harm is skin-cutting, but self-harm also covers a wide range of behaviors including burning, scratching, banging or hitting body parts, interfering with wound healing (dermatillomania), hair-pulling (trichotillomania) and the ingestion of toxic substances or objects.

"I stopped. She was bleeding after all. Perfect lines crossed her wrists, not near any crucial veins, but enough to leave wet red tracks across her skin. She hadn't hit her veins when she did this; death hadn't been her goal."
Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy

Many people often ask the question why do people self harm? And the answer is almost always as a coping mechanism. When you self harm you almost always feel better but the problem is the feeling only lasts for a little while before you feel the urge to self harm again and again. Its like an addiction to the feeling that allows you breathe. Allows you if only for a while to be able to step away from the depths of your mind and concentrate on that one feeling.

"You don't feel like your injuring yourself when you self harm, you feel like its the only way to take care of yourself" (unknown)

"The blade sings to me. Faintly, so soft against my ears, its voice calms my worries and tells me that one touch will take it all away. It tells me that I just need to slide a long horizontal cut, and make a clean slice. It tells me the words that I have been begging to hear: this will make it ok."
Amanda Steele, The Cliff

As counterintuitive as it may sound to those on the outside, hurting yourself can make you feel better. In fact, you may feel like you have no choice. Injuring yourself is the only way you know how to cope with feelings like sadness, self-loathing, emptiness, guilt, and rage.

The problem is that the relief that comes from self-harming doesn't last very long. It's like slapping on a Band-Aid when what you really need are stitches. It may temporarily stop the bleeding, but it doesn't fix the underlying injury. It also creates its own problems.

"You might imagine that a person would resort to self-mutilation only under extremes of duress, but once I'd crossed that line the first time, taken that fateful step off the precipice, then almost any reason was a good enough reason, almost any provocation was provocation enough. Cutting was my all-purpose solution."
Caroline Kettlewell, Skin Game

There's a common misconception that people who self harm want to die, but the truth is that is usually the only way they know how to continue living. It's like a release of pent up emotions that becomes an addiction. That even after months or even years sticks to the back of your mind. Its like a drug, sometimes it is a drug and its the only thing that's holding that barrier between life and death.

Self harm does not only include the most obvious cases of cutting and physical self injury but includes other activities such as driving recklessly, drug and alcohol abuse and unsafe sexual activities.

Because clothing can hide physical injuries, and inner turmoil can be covered up by a seemingly calm disposition, self-injury can be hard to detect. However, there are red flags you can look for (but remember—you don't have to be sure that you know what's going on in order to reach out to someone you're worried about):

-Unexplained wounds or scars from cuts, bruises, or burns, usually on the wrists, arms, thighs, or chest.

-Blood stains on clothing, towels, or bedding; blood-soaked tissues.

-Sharp objects or cutting instruments, such as razors, knives, needles, glass shards, or bottle caps, in the person's belongings.

-Frequent "accidents." Someone who self-harms may claim to be clumsy or have many mishaps, in order to explain away injuries.

-Covering up. A person who self-injures may insist on wearing long sleeves or long pants, even in hot weather.
Needing to be alone for long periods of time, especially in the bedroom or bathroom.

-Isolation and irritability.

Self-injury can cause a variety of complications, including:

-Worsening feelings of shame, guilt and low self-esteem

-Infection, either from wounds or from sharing tools

-Permanent scars or disfigurement

-Severe, possibly fatal injury

-Worsening of underlying issues and disorders, if not adequately treated

-Suicide risk

Although self-injury is not usually a suicide attempt, it can increase the risk of suicide because of the emotional problems that trigger self-injury. And the pattern of damaging the body in times of distress can make suicide more likely.

If you or someone you know self harms please reach out for help. No matter where you are from remember self harm is usually a sign of an underlying problem. So reach out and talk to someone. Here at The Safe Zone we also have a great team of people willing to lend an ear when ever you may need one.

"Hush little baby, Dont you cry, Dont cut your arms, Dont say goodbye. Put down that razor, Put down that light, It maybe hard but, You'll win this fight."
Emily Giffin