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What is it?

Self-mutilation is also known by several other names: self-injury, self-abuse, parasuicide, self-harm, and deliberate self-harm syndrome.

Self-mutilation is not simply defined, but a basic definition is deliberate harm to oneself.

Another definition is from a website entitled Focus Adolescent Services: "self-injury is the act of attempting to alter a mood state by inflicting physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to one's body."

There are many different ways that a persons can go about self-injuring: Cutting, burning, poking holes in the skin, breaking bones (less common), hitting oneself, biting, not eating, and many other ways.

Percentages

Cutting: 72%

Burning: 35%

Self-hitting: 30%

Interference w/ wound healing: 22%

Hair pulling: 10%

Bone breaking: 8%

Multiple Methods:78%

Other Facts

-The first case of self-cutters was reported in 1960

-About 1% of the U.S. population self-injures

-About 80% of the self-injures are female, but men injure themselves more severly

-A few famous people who have dealt with self-injury of some form are: Princess Diana, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie

How?

*These are testimonials from the website entitled: Self-injury: You are NOT the only one. The link is found below.

"(With) cuts, mostly on my feet, especially my ankle, because it’s hard against the bone and I don’t have to work terribly hard. It’s on my ankle so it’s not too hard to hide." (male, minor, academic track in high school)

"I cut with a craft knife. I tie off my right arm as if I was shooting up and wait for the veins to come up and then cut with a fresh blade, the snap-off type of craft knife always around the same place...the blood wells up and I love it so...then I lick the blood, so good. Usually 4 or five cuts...I just love everything about it, the feel of the blade the blood the colour the taste, even the sound of the edge going in. I have also done a lot of picking scabs to stop them healing. The scars endure. I love scars." [female, age 28, 14 years SIB, master's degree]

"Razor blades. I tried Swiss Army Knives at first, but they were too much pain for too little blood, if you know what I mean....I just pick a spot, remove any clothing over it, and slice away....It hurts like a cast-iron bitch, to be perfectly frank." [male, 17, 2 years of SIB, academic track in high school]

Who?

We can not put a simple label on who has this problem, but there are some similar patterns. Generally, this problem begins in the teenage years. It is usually something that females struggle with. Invalidation is a huge factor for people who self-injure. They have been taught at a young age that their feelings or ways of dealing with events are wrong. Other contributors include: sexual abuse, alcoholic parent or parents, physical abuse, and dysfunctional family. Many women who admit to be self-injurers also struggle with eating disorders.

Diagnosed illnesses that tend to self-injure: Borderline Personality Disorder, Mood disorders, Eating disorders, OCD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dissociative Disorders, Anxiety and/or Panic, Impulse-control

Why

Many suffers feel like they have no control over their feelings and the complexity of their emotions is to much to handle. They want something concrete to explain the pain and despair they are feeling. Another reason is to punish themselves if they have failed or feel like they have done something wrong. The reasons are numerous and unending; there are emotional, physical, social, and mental reasons. The reasons are as individual as the person.

Ø“I like the thought that it is ME causing the pain for once, not someone else.” (female, 14, 9th grade)

Ø“I’d rather feel the pain from cutting than the pain I don’t understand.”

Ø“I really don’t know why I injure myself. There is just so much pain in me that I use the knife as a punishment. Sometimes I do it and hope that someone will notice, or care, but I always end up hiding my cuts and scars. I feel so alone in the world like no one cares but I have never done it with the intention to kill myself. Just as an escape, even when I don’t have big problems.” (female, 14, top of the class in middle school)

For the scientific explanation click here

What is the Difference?

It is not an easy distinction to draw, but there is a difference between self-mutilation and things like: smoking, overeating, and not exercising. Self-mutilation is immediate deliberate harm to oneself. The person is looking to change or alter his or her mood rapidly and uses this as a coping method. On the other hand things like smoking, overeating, and not exercising are harmful to the body, but are not always deliberately trying to hurt oneself.