Self-Harm Research Paper

Self-Harm Research Paper
HSER 281 Self–harm Research Proposal
Directed Studies: Methods Jaime Gresley–Jones Student# 111835
Faculty: Deb Wandler Submitted: February 23, 2010
I have chosen the issue of self–harm because I want to know more about the clients that suffer from it. People who suffer from mental health are a big
issue for society and they need...show more content...
Self–harm may be used to manage pain from an earlier life experience over which the person had no control such as physical or emotional abuse.
While not every client will use self–harming behaviors to deal with emotional pain, I feel that the knowledge of these behaviors will be important in
the field of helper that I am aspiring to work in. Self–harm can also be called self–injury, self–inflicted violence, or self–injurious behaviors. These
names refer to a spectrum of behaviors where injuries are self inflicted. Self–mutilation can also be used to describe these behaviors but this term can
be offensive. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders self–harm is a symptom of borderline personality disorder only and does not
have a diagnostic criteria. Not everyone who self–harms suffers from a recognized form of mental disorder, but many people who have been diagnosed
have a higher risk of self harming. Whether I chose to work in the field of social work or go on and work in a psychiatry field I will have clients who
suffer from mental illnesses and the more I can know about their suffering and symptoms will help me to be better in my chosen field. I want to be
able to do whatever I can to empathize and understand about the ways my clients are suffering. Suicide is not the intention of people who self–harm, but
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Self-Harming Case Studies
Alesia is a 14–year–old Caucasian female. She resides with her mother and is an only child. Alesia does not have a relationship with her father as she
indicated he is a sociopath and abusive. She has ВЅ brother and a ВЅ sister, but does not have any communication. She was observed to be healthy,
clean, and no marks or bruises visible. Alesia denied being touched inappropriately. She takes Adderall 30 mg for ADHD, birth control to regular her
period, and Melotin to sleep.
Alesia is currently enrolled in virtual school online and is completing her 2nd semester of 8th grade thru La Amistad Behavioral Center. She
completed an inpatient program for a month at the facility and was discharged to a PHP outpatient program, which is helping her with school. She is
also receiving counseling as she used to self–harm, but has not since a year ago, and does not feel self–harming at this time. Alesia has been seeing a
psychiatrist once a week and receives therapy once a week. Cathleen (therapist) expressed that Alesia has improved while in the program as she has a
history of self–harming, but has not had any episode since at the facility. Cathleen indicated Alesia has made a lot of progress.
She denied domestic violence and drugs in the home. She has witnessed her mother drinking...show more content...
She does not exhibit behaviors that are indicative of abuse and does not have any developmental/ medical/ physical or emotional disabilities that
increase her vulnerability. She was observed to be free of marks and bruises. She seems to be introverted, but engages well with others. She does not
show serious emotional symptoms requiring intervention or lacks of behavioral control and did not exhibit self–destructive behavior that her caregiver
is unwilling or unable to manage. Alesia is involved in activities in the community and in La Amistad Behavioral

Media And Self Harm Essay
Media surrounds everyone living in every part of the world. Whether media is seen in the form of television shows and commercials, magazines,
movies, billboards, and newspapers, media is everywhere. You may not notice it, but you cannot go anywhere, or do anything, without coming across
some sort of media. Although few media messages may be considered positive, the truth is the media is detrimental to teens in America today. These
messages destroy teens' body image which sadly leads to self harm. Not only can the media lead to self–harm, it also leads to many teens developing
unhealthy habits in order to live up to the perceived perfection that they see throughout the media. Equally important, the growing numbers of teens
with insecurities...show more content...
Heartbreakingly, "For some of these youth, cutting or burning themselves numbs away unpleasant thoughts and feelings or they feel "high" from the
experience" ("Adolescent Self Harm." 1). It is undeniable that media can be the cause of many teens harming themselves because they don't think they
look like the pictures in the magazine.
The opposing side needs to recognize the fact that unhealthy habits can come from the media. As many people know, eating disorders are unhealthy
habits that are an outcome of someone focusing on how to change their body to the seemingly flawless body they see in the magazine, and not how
beautiful their body already is. "Eating disorders –– such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder – include extreme emotions, attitudes, and
behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. Eating ailments are serious emotional and physical problems that can have life–threatening
consequences for females and males" ("General Information." 1). According to the experts in the National Eating Disorder Association, approximately
500,000 teens struggle with eating disorders. In most cases, a person's affliction advances from a strict diet that they put themself on. Those who have
eating ailments either make themself starve, vomit, or eat a large quantity of food, and then vomit. Either way, it will damage the bodies of eating
disorder sufferers. In conclusion, it is sad to say that the media has such an effect on people that they would establish

Suicide Self Harm
Typically Suicide and self harm are the type of topics that most people feel uncomfortable talking about. People tend to avoid talking about death, that's
one of the main reasons why no body knows much about self harm and/or suicide. People wouldn't/don't know what signs to look for,exactly what
suicide and self harm is, or what to do if they see someone had self–harmed.
"In the last forty–five years, suicide rates have increased by sixty percent." Suicide is endings ones life due to an emotional emptiness. Most people
who commit suicide do it to escape pain,(physical ~or~ mental/emotional), it's almost the exact same when it comes to self–harm as well. Self–harm is
how people relieve their pain. Most people who self–harm , say it gives

Essay on Self Harm
Introduction Deliberate self–harm is a term that covers a wide range of behaviours some of which are directly related to suicide and some are not.
This is a relatively common behaviour that is little understood. This essay provides an overview of the nature and extent of those most at risk of
self–harm, including causes and risk factors. Examining some of the stereotyping that surrounds self –harm, and looking at ways in which self–harm
can be prevented.
A useful definition of self–harm is from Professor Keith Hawton (Hawton et al., 2006. p29). An act with a non–fatal outcome in which an individual
deliberately did one or more of the following;
Initiated behaviour (e.g. self–cutting, jumping from a height), which they...show more content...
Research clearly indicates a link between self–harm and sexual abuse in childhood and was particularly marked in women who had been subjected to
severe, frequent abuse. Further studies confirmed that the more severe, more prolonged, or a longer duration of sexual abuse was associated with an
increased risk of engaging in self–harm as an adult. Marginalization may also be the explanation for the high risk of self–harm in gay, bisexual,
transsexual teenagers who are 2 to 3 times more likely to self–harm than heterosexual young people, this groups results in regular absenteeism at school
due to homophobic harassment. 50% of those reported bullied at school had contemplated self–harm, 40% of those had self–harmed at least once. A
survey in 2000 to 2002 interviewed 2,430 lesbian women, gay men and bisexual men and women in England and Wales and concluded that there is a
greater link between discrimination and mental health issues. (Truth Hurts, Mental Health Foundation 2006). Asian women aged 15 to 35 are two to
three times more vulnerable to self–harm than their non–Asian counterparts. Research revealed a complex range of disturbing issues, isolation, despair,
many forms of family abuse, conflicts between generations, with many reporting unrealistic pressures of rigid matrimonial roles and duties in
maintaining

Self Harm Research Paper
Words Actually do Hurt
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words actually do hurt. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, about 43.8 million people in
the United States are diagnosed with a mental illness each year, but less than 50% of these people report discrimination. Social stigma of mental illness
has caused those with these illnesses to not seek medical attention, to cause themselves harm, and to be anxious in social environments; it is imperative
that society becomes more sympathetic to those with mental illnesses. It is hard for people diagnosed with a mental illness to seek medical attention
because the symptoms are hard to see and often times hard to address. Seeking medical attention for mental illness is...show more content...
People diagnosed with mental disorders can use self harm as a way to cope with their situation and as a way to deal with the discrimination they may
endure because of their illness. A girl that once went to my school,who I will call D, suffered fromdepression and anxiety. These illnesses caused her
to have hatred for herself and when her peers began to bully her, she turned to self–harm as a coping mechanism. She began to cut her wrists with sharp
object, starve herself, and abusing alcohol. At one point, She even attempted to take her own life. The kind of harassment she endured happens to
many teens with mental illnesses. Including A young fifteen year old girl, suffering from depression. Her parents would yell and argue with her
siblings and no one really paid much attention to her. At school people, that were once her friends, ignored her and acted as if she did not exist. With
the difficult life at home and the torment at school, she began to self–harm. Like D, she would cut herself. The young girl found it necessary to hurt
herself because she felt as though her mental illness caused her family and friends to abandon her. The harm that both of these girls caused themselves
due to persecution towards their mental illnesses, needs to be addressed by society because these girls are only two examples of people that use
self–harm as a way to manage the discrimination they feel because of their mental

Essay on Self harm
I used to be a cutter... but shh, don't tell. Society didn't allow me to express my pain that way...Today's society refuses to acknowledge many problems
that teens deal with. People would rather believe in 'happily ever after' than face the truth, children are suffering. While it may seem to others that the
problems are made up, its very real to the one dealing with them everyday. This suffering can leave permanent scars, and damage (if not ruin) their
future. By remaining ignorant, self harm becomes more and more common, but at what cost? If educators and medical personnel were to be more
educated on self harm and how to deal with it, teens and young adults would be more comfortable asking for help. Getttig rid of the stereotypes that
...show more content...
Adults who work in an education based setting sometimes feel uncomfortable dealing with young teens who self harm. Whether this is because of
personal reasons or ignorance, self harm is a common subject in schools. When interviewed for an artical, one teacher said that she, "couldn't deal
with the emotional aspect, and couldn't think of any reason why someone would want to physically harm themselves." Another teacher, at the same
school, stated that he "hadn't had the experience or training necessary to help the child. This appeared to make the child uncomfortable and regret
asking for help." Should asking for help really be such a difficult task? Schools have classes designed to educate teens about how to grow up and
take charge, and deal with problems; staff should have the option to take similar classes. If self harm was discussed more in these classes, and
appropriate coping methods were taught, there would be less of a problem in schools. Medical officials have much of the same experiences as
educators. While they are certified to clean and help with the healing of a self inflicted wound, they have no mandatory obligation to help the patient.
Some hospitals have reported that medical staff feels that the patient "deserves to feel the pain" as they purposely harmed themselves. Nurses will use
little or no anesthesia on the patient, or will treat them last – no matter the severity of the wound. This goes against the Hippocratic

Personal Story Of Self-Harm
My own personal story with self–harm began in ninth grade. I can remember sitting in my room feeling overwhelmed and confused. I didn't know
what to do so I turned to self–harm. I had remembered that a friend of mine in seventh grade had struggled with self–harm. I knew how hard it was for
her to stop and the pain she went through, but that didn't stop me from doing it. I was determined not to feel this way, I wanted the pain to end and not
to feel so out–of–place. At the time I thought it would be a one–time thing and then I'd be okay. Little did I know I would fall into a pattern of
self–harm.
The unknowns and misunderstandings related to mental health lead people to hide what they are feeling. Fear of judgment and shame hold us back.
There are misconceptions about most everything in life, but one that sticks out to me most is mental health and how it relates to self–harm. My goal is
that through sharing this part of my story, I can help those who are struggling not feel alone as well as help others gain a new perspective on this topic.
...show more content...
People that harm themselves may feel very lonely or disconnected and need a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen. Another misconception is that
those who self–harm are suicidal. Although this can be the case and prolonged self–harm can increase a person's risk for suicide and suicidal thoughts,
most of the time self–harm is used as a way of coping. Some believe that only teenagers self–harm but this habit can continue into adulthood as well.
Self–harm has many addictive qualities due to the fact that every time you harm yourself your body releases endorphins. Telling someone to stop
hurting him or herself is like telling a person who drinks coffee every day to just stop. Chances are they

Self Harm In Adolescents
DeAsia Brannon
Child Welfare
Dr. English
Self–Harm In Adolescents Self–harm/ self–injury, which is defined as the practice of injuring yourself, i.e. cutting, in order to relieve emotional
distress, is an alarming issue that has become an epidemic. According to Healthy Place "Each year, 1 in 5 females and 1 in 7 males engage in
self–injury." And within that group, "90 percent of the people who engage in self–harm, began during their teen or pre–adolescent years." (Gluck,
2015) Self harm can include many different behaviors, such as : cutting the skin with razors and or other sharp objects, burning the skin, scratching the
skin, intentionally bruising the body by hitting or hitting oneself against the wall , intentionally pulling hair out...show more content...
One step would be to make sure the person feels safe/ comfortable. As stated before, often the person engaging in the behavior is experiencing intense
emotions that they feel like they cannot openly express, so they are engaging in this behavior. But at the same time they are experiencing shame
because they are doing it. Creating a safe and encouraging atmosphere for that person would be the best for them. Then letting that person know that
you are there to help them and encouraging them, not pushing them, to reach out for help so that they can get the help they need. Being
non–judgmental, again, in your listening so that you can be better equipped to help them. Then assessing the situation. Such as seeing if the person is
in need of medical assistance and or in need of going to be evaluated by professionals so that the person is in a safe space. Then getting the person set
up with therapists and or psychiatrists to try and figure out the underlying issues going on with the

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Self-Harm Research Paper