Self-Injury

"Self-injury" is any sort of self-harm that involves inflicting injuries or pain on one's own body and can take many forms.

The most common form of self-injury is probably cutting, usually superficially, but sometimes deeply. Some people may also burn themselves, punch themselves or hit their bodies against something.

Self-injury is far more widespread than is generally realised. All sorts of people self-injure and there is little outward sign that there is anything wrong. Self-injury seems to be more common among women, partly because men are more likely to express strong feelings such as anger, outwardly.

Many people cope with difficulties in their lives in ways that risk their health and which may cause harm to themselves. Such as: eating or drinking too much, smoking, driving too fast, gambling or making themselves ill through overwork or worry. They might do this to numb or distract themselves from problems or feelings they cannot bear to face. However, these have become socially acceptable compared to somebody actively harming himself or herself.

When a person actively self-harms, such as cutting, they immediately receive a sense of relief in the form of calmness, joy or well-being. This is due to the body releasing endorphins to help mask the feelings of pain. As the release of endorphins produces such a pleasurable effect self-harm can become physically and mentally addictive, however as this feeling lasts for a short period of time the need to self-harm increases. This results in a vicious circle of addiction, which is very hard to break.

Escape from the cycle can only be achieved if the feelings behind the self-harm are treated, otherwise the self-harm will re-occur.

What can help?

Self-injury causes great distress, and can seem a difficult problem to overcome. But it is possible for a person to stop hurting himself or herself, if they can understand and resolve the problems behind what they do. However, things that help one person will not always help someone else

Think about what your self-injury is "saying" about your feelings and your life. This will give you clues about problems you need to work on. You might find it helpful to talk about your self-injury and what lies behind it with friends or a counsellor.

Do contact us for further information on our inpatient, outpatient and day patient programmes.