Break the Silence, Break the Stigma: March is Self-Injury / Self-Harm Awareness Month
March is Self-Injury Awareness Month, a time to shed light on a often hidden and misunderstood issue. Self-injury, also known as self-harm, is a response to severe emotional distress where a person intentionally hurts themselves to cope with overwhelming feelings or combat emotional numbness.
It's more common than you might think, with around 15% of teenagers and 4% of adults experiencing some form of self-injury.
It's crucial to recognize the warning signs, so we can support those who might be struggling.
Warning Signs of Self-Injury
- Consistent injuries on arms, legs, or other body parts, such as scabs, bruises, burns, or cuts
- Wearing long sleeves, pants, or coats in warm weather to hide injuries
- Repeatedly making excuses for injuries
- Avoiding activities and relationships they used to enjoy, and withdrawing from social life
Self-harm can take various forms, but the most common are ...
- skin cutting (70-90%)
- head banging or hitting (21-44%)
- and flesh burning (15-35%)
The Importance of Awareness and Understanding
Self-injury often begins in adolescence, with 90% of cases starting in the teenage years. Unfortunately, it's shrouded in shame and stigma, and sufferers may be labeled as "attention seekers." Dr. Marsha Linehan, a prominent psychologist, openly shares her past struggles with self-harm to raise awareness and understanding.
By being aware and educated, we can break down these stigmas, offer support, and encourage open conversations about mental health and recovery.
How to Support Someone Who Self-Harms
- Don't judge or act disgusted – It's crucial to approach the situation with empathy and understanding.
- Stay supportive and proactive – Drive them to counselor appointments, visit them in treatment, and remind them you're there for them.
- Educate yourself – Learn about self-injury and its underlying causes to better understand what they're going through.
Teenagers are particularly vulnerable and may feel isolated in their struggles. But remember, with the right treatment and support, self-injury can become a thing of the past.
This March, let's come together to raise awareness, break down stigmas, and support those struggling with self-injury.
By fostering open conversations and offering understanding, we can make a real difference in the lives of those affected.Remember, you are not alone, and there is always help and hope.
Resources for More Information and Support
Germany
- Telefonseelsorge: 0800 111 0 111 or 0800 111 0 222 (free and confidential crisis hotline)
- Nummer gegen Kummer: 116 111 (free and confidential children and young people's phone service)
United Kingdom
- Samaritans: 116 123 (free and confidential crisis hotline)
- Childline: 0800 1111 (free and confidential helpline for children and young people)
United States
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) (free and confidential crisis hotline)
- Crisis Text Line: Text "HOME" to 741741 (free, 24/7 crisis support via text message)
Self-injury or self-harm is a response to severe emotional distress. Intentional, non-suicidal injuries are a way for a person to mirror psychological pain with physical pain.
In some cases, the physical injury has a temporary calming effect and, in others, a self-inflicted wound is a means of “feeling something” to combat emotional numbness.
For more than a decade, March has been designated Self-injury Awareness Month and is promoted by organizations like LifeSIGNS and the Self-Injury Foundation.
How Common is Self-Harm?
Despite the seemingly fringe aspect of this condition, it’s much more common than most people realize. Among teenagers, an estimated 15 percent will experience some form of self-injury. The number drops to 4 percent among adults. The most common forms of self-harm include:
Skin cutting 70% to 90%
Head banging or hitting 21% to 44%
Flesh burning 15% to 35%
Perhaps one reason for the lack of awareness around the condition of self-harm is that a person can easily hide or explain away their injuries.
March is Self Injury Awareness Month
What Are the Signs of Self-Injury?
For family and friends, especially those who have loved ones suffering some type of mental illness, it’s important to watch for signs and patterns of self-injury. These might include:
Arms, legs or other parts of the body that show signs of consistent injuries, such as scabs, bruises, burns and cuts
Overdressing in particularly warm weather, wearing, for example, coats, long sleeve shirts or pants
Repeatedly making excuses for why or how they got injured
Avoidance, isolation and withdrawal from activities and relationships they previously enjoyed
The overwhelming majority of self-injury cases – some 90 percent – begin in adolescence. While the condition brings temporary relief for a person suffering, it carries a lot of shame and stigma.
Many people who self-harm are labeled attention seekers. This only serves to alienate and isolate them further. In other cases, family or friends might be in denial about the problem and still find themselves hiding sharp objects, such as kitchen knives, from their loved one.
Dr. Marsha Linehan, who was institutionalized at the age of 17 for extreme social withdrawal and severe self-harm, didn’t start sharing her experience until she was in her 60s.
Linehan now helps others and recalls for the New York Times that painful period in her life. “I felt totally empty, like the Tin Man; I had no way to communicate what was going on or understand it.”
Don’t Judge – Stay Supportive
When helping a person through the trauma of self-injury, listen, don’t judge or act disgusted. Stay supportive and proactive, drive them to a counselor’s appointment or visit them in treatment when appropriate. Take the opportunity to educate yourself about the condition and the underlying causes that often lead to it.
Self-injury Awareness Month is a chance to set aside stigma, understand the problem and be open about mental health and recovery. Far too many people suffer needlessly because they’re afraid of being judged.
Teenagers are especially vulnerable and often believe they’re the only ones in the world coping with these issues. But with treatment and support, self-injury can move from the present to the past.
Comments
Post a Comment