Essay #3 Draft

Hailey Kennedy
hakennedy@mail.usi.edu
English 201.010
Essay 3: First Draft
Word Count: 1329
“Self-Injuring Nation”
People of different ages that live all over the world participate in self-injurious behavior. Self-injury is defined as the act of attempting to alter a mood state by inflicting physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to one’s body (Martinson). This behavior is addicting and although it is not meant to be dangerous the results can be and it can affect many people. Self-injurers are not limited to a particular age group which often leads to family and friends becoming involved in treatment and/or intervention. Education about self-injurious behavior therefore is very important.
The education about self-injurious behavior much reach all types of people, because it is not a specific group of people affected. In the United States alone there are two million people who have caused physical injury on themselves, however this number is believed to be underestimated because so many incidents are unreported (Martinson). The people who participate can be from all economic backgrounds, careers, how much schooling, countries, and sexualities (Cutter). The age range of those who inflict self harm is between early teens to the early 60s according to both Cutter and Martinson. With the wide range of people that participate in self-injurious behavior, many studies are done in order to get a better understanding.
Studies are done between countries, sexes, and ages. One study had the results of 96 of the 568 youth involved having harmed themselves at some time (Nixon). Martinson reported that nearly half of those who reported abuse of physical and or sexual in nature during there childhood. Nixon’s study and article also stated that,
“The majority of those who self-harmed reported that the idea to self-harm had been their own (69/93, 73.4%). Few youths reported that they had gotten the idea from a friend (27/93, 29.0%), television or movies (14/93, 15.1%) or a family member (2/93, 2.2%), or that they had read about it (11/93, 11.8%). For the question "where did you get the idea to self-harm," the mean number of sources reported was 1.4 (SD 0.9).”
One study revolved around females and stated that, “The frequent cutters were more likely than the less frequent cutters to be female (62% vs. 42%), non-white (26% vs. 9%), sexually abused (63% vs. 43%), to have used condoms inconsistently (61% vs. 27%) and report less impulse control (36% vs. 29%)” (David). Many studies have been done one who participates in this behavior which led to discovering the many possible expressions of it.
Self-injurious behavior can be accomplished by many ways and have many different names. Some are carving, branding, marking, biting, bruising, scratching, hitting, burning or abrasions, and picking or pulling skin or hair (Martinson). According to Martinson the most common forms of self-injury are cutting, burning, and head-banging. Drinking harmful chemicals made the list as a common form as well (Cutter). Cutter provides excellent definitions to some of the forms. When it came to burning Cutter stated that a hot object could be used or a pencil eraser on the skin in order to create a friction burn. At first glance picking of the skin is a form that can seem hard to understand, but it is simply re-opening wounds to relieve stress and can be related to an impulse control disorder (Cutter). The main form most people think about when it comes to self-injuries is cutting. Cutting is defined as making cuts or scratches with any sharp object on most commonly arms, legs, and front of torso (Cutter). Cutting is often done with knives, needles, razor blades, and fingernails (Cutter). Different forms of self-injuries are done for different reasons.
Self-injurers have many reasons for participating in this dangerous behavior. Cutter included statements from self-injurers about why they participated in this behavior. One of the reasons included was that it allowed emotional feelings and pain unable to be put into words to be expressed (Cutter). A common reason he included was that it was a way to have control over their body (Cutter). It is often said that because family life, friends, and school are hard to control people often seek a way to control something either their weight or how they express their emotions (Cutter). Numbness is often felt by people and feeling physical pain is a way to feel something (Cutter). One of the self-injurers Cutter included was that cutting relieved stress and made them less anxious. Martinson also included reasons about why self-injurers participated in the behavior that they did. Martinson included that scientist believed that neurotransmitters played a role in depression, the amount of aggression they felt, and their impulse control. There are also researchers who state that the desire for endorphins may promote self-injury because they are the natural painkillers (Martinson). Although not everyone who is involved with self-injury has been abused there is a link between the two (Martinson). The main reason found for self-injury is releasing and expressing feelings.
Self-injurious behaviors are often considered done for reasons that are not the case. These reasons do not include wanting to die by way of suicide although it happens (Cutter). Also they do not have the purpose of sexual gratification, body decorations; such as body piercings and tattooing, and spiritual enlightenment via ritual (Martinson). Some people specially parents believe that self-injury is thought to be done in order for someone to fit in or to be considered cool, however this is not a primary purpose (Martinson). Knowing that young adults are not participating in self-injurious behavior is helpful in addressing ways to help treat those involved.
Treatment is both important and necessary to beat the addiction of self-injurious behavior. Cutter includes several reason ways that treatment is available for those who cannot stop cutting, burning, head banging, or something else. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can be used to figure out the reason that people cut and how to best help them (Cutter). By finding out the trigger the reason for behavior steps they can be handled by healthier measures. Anti-anxiety medication may be prescribed if moderate to severe depression is accompanying the destructive behavior (Cutter). In the most severe cases hospitalization may be required (Cutter). Hypnosis, group therapy, and family therapy are also treatments recommended to help relax, prevent shame, and to address history of stress in respective order (Cutter). Therapy is the major treatment for those who are involved in self-injurious behavior, but not the only way.
If a self-injurer still needs that relief there are alternatives that function with treatments. Cutter mentions four different methods. When it comes to anger, Cutter suggests dancing, running, hitting a pillow, or throwing something. All of these practices demand action but the individual is not inflicting harm on themselves or anyone else. In order to feel something and remove the numbness, holding ice cubes in a hand to try to crush them, taking a cold shower, holding a frozen package of food, eating strong flavored food, or even snapping a rubber band on their wrist in moderation are all suggestions (Cutter). Instead of doing destructive behavior Cutter suggests taking a bubble bath, taking deep breaths, writing what is being felt and going on in a journal, drawing, and even yoga to calm down. An alternative for those who hurt themselves to see blood is to mark on their body with red ink and combine another previous suggestion (Cutter). Less harmful alternatives may help the person overcome their addiction of self-injurious behavior.
Self-injuring behavior is known as many different things. Some of the synonyms include self –inflicted violence, self-harms, parasuicide, delicate cutting, self-abuse, and self-mutilation. Those who participate in this behavior to not like some of these names, which make sense because they make what they think, are right sound wrong. No matter what it is called though the reasons, treatments, and the dangers of any self-injurious behavior is harmful and needs to be faced. Self-injuring behavior is very serious, so education of this is very important for those who are participating in it or has a loved one who does.














References
Cutter, D., Jaffe, J.,& Segal,J. (2008). Cutting and self-injury: Self-harm help, support, and
treatment. Retrieved April 16, 2010 from http://helpguide.org/mental/self_injury.htm.
David Hodges. (2005, June). Cutting the 'new tattoo' for teens. Medical Post, 41(22), 16.
Retrieved March 29, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 856698361).
Martinson, D. (1998-2001). What is self-injury?. Retrieved April 16, 2010 from
http://www.focusas.com/SelfInjury.html.
Nixon, M., Cloutier, P., & Jansson, S.. (2008). Nonsuicidal self-harm in youth: a population-
based survey. Canadian Medical Association. Journal, 178(3), 306-12. Retrieved March 29, 2010, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document ID: 1447230571).