The phrase “self-harming behavior” may call up images of troubled teenagers with cuts on their arms. But self-injury can occur for people of any age, in children, adolescents and adults, whether male or female. This is not at all a teenage fad!
People who self-harm or cut are people who are in pain. We have to notice that. The important thing is to notice the emotional pain — not just the outward expression of it — and view the person using self-harming behaviors with understanding and compassion.
Prevalence and Statistics
Accurate statistics about self-harm are hard to find because so much goes unreported. Estimates vary widely; between 3% and 38% of adolescents and young adults report engaging in self-harming behavior, says the Refuge, a treatment resource.
What is Self-Harming Behavior?
Cutting is the most often recognized form of self-injury. But self-harm comes in many forms. It is any self-injurious behavior that is harmful, that is used as a coping skill. Some specific examples include:
- Cutting
- Breaking bones intentionally
- Piercing the skin with pins or other objects
- Burning or scalding parts of the body
- Pulling out hair, fingernails, or pieces of skin
- Banging the head, hands, feet, knees or limbs against hard surfaces
- Slapping or punching oneself
It is natural to feel shock or disbelief when seeing self-injurious behavior. It seems unbelievable to those who are not experiencing such emotional pain, that someone could take a razor to their arm or burn themselves to cope with overwhelming emotions.
It is important to see self-harm as a kind of meta communication around someone’s emotional pain — the behavior has meaning or value for the person doing it and that meaning or understanding is so important to move toward healing.
Why People Use Self-Harming Behavior
Self-harming behavior is both a mechanism for self-regulation and, for some people, a mechanism for self-punishment. Sometimes people will injure the parts of themselves they feel ‘bad’ about. It’s as if those parts can be ‘punished,’ to help people feel less ashamed or less badly about themselves.
» Read more about: Understanding Self-Harming Behavior: Healing with Self-Care and Compassion »
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