To get help from or communicate to other people. Sometimes, people use self-harm because it is the only way they can communicate the pain they are experiencing to others. In fact, seeking help from others was the fourth most common reason for engaging in self-harm in one study (Miller & Fritzon, 2007). In the face of emotional turmoil, it can be hard to figure out how to ask for help. Also, sometimes dramatic or shocking behaviour like self-harm works quickly to get peoples’ attention and support. Indeed, some research shows that people who engage in self-harm actually have more difficulty actively solving problems, and may require more help from their social network. When people are desperate and don’t know how else to get help, they might resort to self-harm. This is not to say that people self-harm on purpose to get attention. Rather, the attention and support that people get once in a while when they self-harm can make them more likely to self-harm in the future. We are often unaware of the many things that influence our behaviour. Similarly, people who self-harm often don’t actively think, “I’m doing this to get help.” They may have never learned the skills they need to get help, and self-harm just happens to “work”.
Posts Tagged ‘self-harm’
Why do people harm themselves? Reason 3
Saturday, May 15th, 2010Why do people harm themselves? Reason 2
Saturday, May 1st, 2010To punish themselves. Although many people may use self-harm as a way of coping with emotions, it is unclear why some people use self-harm rather than some other coping strategy. One explanation might be that people who self-harm may feel particularly negatively towards themselves (Klonsky, 2008). Linehan (1993) thought that people who self-harm may have been exposed to invalidation (often involving dismissive responses, or minimization of distress) of their emotional experiences and may learn to dismiss their own emotions or feel shame or anger toward themselves. In a study of women with BPD, nearly two-thirds of the participants endorsed self-punishment as a reason for harming themselves (Brown et al., 2002). In another study, nearly three-fourths of adolescents who self-harmed selected self-punishment-like reasons, including “I did not like myself,” or “I was angry at myself” (Laye-Gindhu & Schonert-Reichl, 2005). Overall, however, self-punishment is more likely to be a secondary reason for engaging in self-harm.
Why do people harm themselves? Reason 1
Thursday, April 15th, 2010To regulate emotions. The number one most common reason people self-harm is to cope with overwhelming negative emotions. In one study, many people said they self-harmed in order to distract themselves from painful feelings, release anger, reduce tension, or manage stress (Briere & Gil, 1998). In fact, up to 86% of people who self-harm named anxiety relief as a reason for self-harm (Gardner & Gardner, 1975). This may be especially true for people suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD), who often deal with overwhelming emotions. Among people with BPD who also self-harm, almost all (96%) said they used self-harm “to stop bad feelings” or “to relieve anxiety or terror” (Brown et al., 2002). Although it may be hard for some to understand, people who self-harm often do so after experiencing unbearable negative emotions, and describe feeling calm or relieved after self-harm (Brown et al., 2002). Research shows that when people with a history of self-harm were asked to imagine self-harming in the laboratory, they actually had lower physiological arousal (Brain, Haines, & Williams, 1998; Haines, Williams, Brain, & Wilson, 1995). This may explain why people who self-harm have trouble stopping- unfortunately, self-harm can be one way to cope with overwhelming negative emotions. Therefore, successful treatments for self-harm require learning healthier ways of managing distress.
Why do people harm themselves?
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010For some people, it is difficult to fathom why people may end up harming themselves. The next several blogs will shed light on the issue of why some people engage in self-harm. Bottom-line, people often self-harm because it often works, at least in the moment, to endure unbearable pain in the absence of a clear alternative. With hope, a better understanding of why people self-harm will highlight areas where treatments can help reduce the urge to self-harm.
Myths of Self-harm 5
Monday, March 1st, 2010Myth 5: People who self-harm are mentally ill.
As indicated earlier in this blog, self-harm is generally a red flag that someone is struggling with emotional distress. This doesn’t mean, however, that all people who self-harm are mentally ill. In particular, many people think that self-harm is a sign of borderline personality disorder or BPD. In fact, many people with BPD (75%) harm themselves at some point during their lives (Gunderson, 2001). So, if you suffer from BPD, you are likely to have self-harmed. This does not mean that you have BPD if you self-harm. The reverse of a true statement is not necessarily true! For instance, “If you are reading this blog, you are likely to be on the computer” is a true statement- The reverse, however, “If you are on a computer, you are likely to be reading this blog” is simply false! Research does show that, among adolescents and college students, over half of people who self-harm did not meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder (Hodgson, 2004).
Myths of Self-harm 3
Monday, February 1st, 2010Myth 3: Self-harm is for girls.
Many people have a stereotyped image of an adolescent female when they think of a person who self-harms. Although rates of self-harm are higher among adolescents (13-15% in some studies, Ross & Heath, 2002; much higher in other studies), nearly half of all people who self-harm are between 25 and 45 years old (Auseinet, 2007). In fact, 5% of people who self-harm are over 65 years old (Pierce, 1987). Furthermore, although past research indicated that females were more likely to self-harm than males (World Health Organization, 1989), more recent research shows that males are just as likely to self-harm as are females (Gratz, 2001; Gratz & Chapman, 2007; Klonsky, Oltmanns, & Turkheimer, 2003). Researchers have speculated that past studies found self-harm to be more common among women simply because men often did not tell people about their self-harm. These statistics reveal that self-harm can be a problem for many people, and is not at all limited to a subset of female teenagers.
Myths of Self-harm 2
Friday, January 1st, 2010Myth 2: People self-harm to manipulate others.
As mentioned before, the number one reason people engage in self-harm is to manage overwhelming negative emotions (70-96% of the time; Briere & Gil, 1998; Brown et al., 2002). Often, self-harm is triggered by emotions such as anger, sadness, or shame. Occasionally, however, people do report using self-harm to communicate their distress to other people, or to elicit support from the environment. This is usually a more common reason for self-harm among incarcerated populations (Holmqvist, Carlberg, & Hellgren, 2008) than the reason for self-harm among people in the community. As noted previously, sometimes friends and family do behave differently after someone self-harms. But just because people who self-harm may get more support because of their self-harm, it does not mean they did it on purpose in order to obtain support. If people receive consistent support and attention only after they self-harm, it may actually make it more likely that they self-harm in the future. Often, we’re unaware of why we do what we do, and if we get positive consequences, we just keep doing it- not to be mean or manipulative, but because it works. This is particularly the case if an individual does not have many other “tools” available for reaching out for support. Friends and family of people who self-harm may “feel” manipulated, but that doesn’t mean that the person who self-harms is manipulative.
Myths of Self-harm 1
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009Myths of Self-Harm
There are many myths surrounding self-harm. These misconceptions can make it difficult for people to talk to others about their self-harm and even prevent them from getting the kind of support from friends and family that they need. The next several blogs will provide some information to clear up these myths that are often barriers to reaching out for help.
Myth 1: People self-harm in order to get attention.
Often, there is a misconception that people self-harm only to get attention from others. In a small minority of cases, self-harm may be a way to communicate distress to others. In the majority of cases, however, people engage in self-harm to relieve unbearable distress and emotional pain. Between 70% (Briere & Gil, 1998) and 96% (Brown et al., 2002) of people who self-harm indicated that they harmed themselves “to stop bad feelings” or to relieve or distract from painful feelings. Sometimes, people who engage in self-harm actually do get more attention from others. Just because they may get more attention, however, doesn’t mean that the person engaged in self-harm on purpose with the intent of getting attention. In fact, a large majority (nearly 75%) of people who self-harm go to great lengths to hide this behaviour from other people (Children, Youth, and Women’s health, 2009)- the opposite of using it to get attention!
Overcoming Self-Injury 1: Am I the only one? Where can I go for help?
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009WHAT IS SELF-HARM?
Deliberate self-harm is when a person intentionally damages her or his own bodily tissue without intending to die. Self-harm doesn’t include things like smoking, drug use, bingeing, purging, or other behaviours that may be harmful. And the reason for this is that, for the most part, people don’t do these types of things to intentionally cause injury in the moment. Also, self-harm does not include suicide attempts, where people intentionally hurt themselves in order to cause death. As it turns out, self-harm and suicidal behaviour are different in important ways, and we’re focusing here on self-harm. Some examples of self-harm behaviours include cutting, burning, skin picking, biting, or banging one’s head.
This series is designed to provide information about self-harm and how people who self-harm can help themselves and find effective treatment.
HOW COMMON IS SELF-HARM?
Self-harm is surprisingly common. As many as 4% of young girls in the United States have engaged in self-harm (Briere & Gil, 1998; Klonsky, Oltmanns, & Turkheimer, 2003). That’s around 12 million people in the US alone. Some studies have found that approximately 20% of high school students have self-harmed (Gratz, Conrad, & Roemer, 2002; Paivio & McCulloch, 2004; Zoroglu et al., 2003), and as many as 15-17% of college students say they’ve harmed themselves frequently (Gratz, 2001, 2006; Gratz, Conrad, & Roemer, 2002; Paivio & McCullough, 2004; Zoroglu et al., 2003). Also, although some people view self-harm as a “female” problem, it’s actually just as common amoung males as it is with females.
Most people who harm themselves begin around the age of 13 or 14, although some people start before this age. We rarely see people over 55 or so who harm themselves (although some surely do), and even people over 40 don’t tend to self-harm as much as younger adults. After it first occurs, some people try it a few times, over the course of a year or two, and then grow out of it or decide it isn’t for them. Others experiment with self-harm, just as some people experiment with drugs during adolescence and young adulthood. And for these people, self-harm might be something they can recover from on their own or with the support from a therapist or loved ones. Other people, however, come to rely on self-harm in order to cope. For them it can continue for many years, even decades. Other people who self-harm probably fall between these two groups. These are people who might self-harm occasionally over many years, only when things get very difficult.
WHERE DO YOU START IF YOU STRUGGLE WITH SELF-HARM AND WANT HELP?
Although some people can recover from self-harm on their own, many find it easier to stop this behaviour if they have the support of a mental health professional. As we discussed above, the more you come to rely on self-harm, the harder it can be to stop on your own. Not only can a mental health professional support you in trying to stop self-harm, this person can also teach you alternative ways of coping with your emotions and life stressors, so that you don’t feel as if you have to give up one coping strategy (self-harm) with nothing to replace it.
We recommend that you seek a professional with training and experience in the treatment of self-harm. Many different types of mental health professionals can treat someone who self-harms, including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, people with master’s degrees in psychology, and people with Ph.D.s or master’s degrees in counselling psychology. Any of these professionals may be able to help you or someone you love recover from self-harm. More important than the professional’s degree is his or her level of experience with and knowledge about self-harm. In particular, you should make sure that this professional 1) knows that self-harm is different from suicidal behaviours; 2) has knowledge, training, and experience with alternative coping strategies; 3) is nonjudgmental toward people who self-harm; 4) knows how to treat self-harm; and 5) is willing to work with you to stop this behaviour.
If travel to the Vancouver, B.C., area is a possibility, the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Centre of Vancouver is a treatment centre with clinicians who have experience and training in treating people who self-harm. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact Dr. John Wagner at 778.838.6875.
Another way to start getting help is to get accurate information about self-harm. Although there are some Internet sites that provide accurate, up to date information, other sites provide misinformation or even encourage self-harm. Self-help books, such as the one below, can be a useful place to start.
For instance, much of the information in this blog was taken from the following recent self-help book:
Gratz, K. L., & Chapman, A. L. 2009. Freedom from Self-Harm: Overcoming Self-Injury with Skills from DBT and Other Treatments. California: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
Available on amazon.ca, Freedom from Self-Harm provides up to date, accurate information on self-harm, the causes of self-harm, effective treatment options, ways to get motivated to stop self-harming, how to prevent relapse, and useful coping strategies from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and other treatments.
In this blog, we have discussed the definition of self-harm, found that self-harm is a problem for many people. We also reviewed a few resources for people who are struggling with self-harm.
So why do people harm themselves? What causes self-harm? Who engages in self-harm? What can people do to help themselves? What treatments are out there? How can you cope with emotions and desires to self-harm? In this series, those are the questions we will be answering. Stay tuned for bimonthly blogs addressing these and other questions about self-harm, and what you can do about it.
For more information, please call us at 604-569-1156