Self-injury - a veiled addiction

Self-injury, Why?

There are many different reasons which may trigger this strange habit of many. Namely, some people pressured by life's problems, certain traumatic experiences and many other negative things get into a state of panic often. Then, they are prone to breathing difficulties, confusion and an overall state of imbalance, both mental and physical. For a lot of people, injuring yourself physically, causing tissue damage on the surface of your body, can help reducing the above mentioned symptoms. This, even though violent and unorthodox, system of self control helps many people cope with their difficulties and stay “sane” in the world of craziness around them. However, injuring yourself in order to save yourself from injuries does little to help other people understandit.

Before talking about self-injury in the first place, we need to mention that not all cases are “genuine” in this respect. There are many people who do this for publicity or for the adrenaline related to getting yourself hurt. However, there are people who do not cut or injure themselves of attention or fashion. They do this because they cannot manage to live any otherway.

The Mind of a Cutter

People who are prone to self-injury are often not understood by other people or are completely misunderstood. Either way, they are keeping their “activity” a secret, denying the obvious signs. Therefore, a person prone to self-injury will say that he/she got scratched by a cat, accidentally broke a glass etc. So, vanity or a desire for popularity clearly have nothing to do withself-injury.

On the other hand, people do this to themselves since physical pain can dispel the emotional one. This can be explained through physiology since, in order to save our body, our mind produces the feel-good hormones which act as sedatives to the person who is self-injuring him/herself. Therefore, this method is actually a type of dealing with mental problems, pain used aspainkiller.

We, humans, are quite delicate beings and many of us are not brought up to be emotional or to express emotions. While some people go all out against problems, others lock themselves up in a room and make cuts on the surface of their body. The upbringing, the parental support, the childhood, all influence the development of this method of defense.

Finally, in order to get better, people who are prone to self-injuring need to find alternative ways of coping with their problems. In order for this to be possible, they usually need external help. Thus, friends, family and other people close to this person should provide support, understanding and help this person find an alternative and safe way for releasing all the tension they feel.