Self-injury, or cutting, needs understanding
Though it seems counterintuitive, self-injury is often done with the intention of providing relief to the person injuring himself.
Self-injury, or cutting, needs understanding
By Traci Lowenthal
POSTED: 02/28/15, 8:18 PM PST
What do you think of when you read the phrase “self-injury”? For some, this might be a completely new term, as the more commonly used word for it is “cutting.”
Today is Self-Injury Awareness Day. It’s incredibly important to understand what self-injury is and what it is not, and to understand why people injure themselves, as well as what can be done about it.
WHAT IS SELF-INJURY?
Self-injurious behaviors are intentional behaviors that result in the damage of bodily tissue. Self-injury is a broad term that can encompass many different behaviors ranging from skin picking and scratching to interference with healing, cutting with sharp objects, and even more severe injuries such as breaking bones and amputations.
WHY DO PEOPLE SELF INJURE?
Contrary to what many people believe, self-injury is not typically a suicidal gesture. Though it seems counterintuitive, self-injury is often done with the intention of providing relief to the person injuring himself.
Often, the intensity of the physical pain created through cutting or other injurious behavior can distract someone from the emotional or psychological pain he is feeling.
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