Most people who cut report that they do so when their emotional distress feels unbearable. They do not cut themselves because they want to die or get attention. The physical pain of cutting provides an outlet for a person’s emotional pain, making the latter feel more tolerable. People who cut may report that they feel better immediately after cutting, though they may feel regret hours later or in the following days. Cutting can feel like an addiction. A person may feel an overwhelming urge to harm themselves, particularly during times of emotional pain. For some individuals, they feel temporary relief when they cut themselves and may then resolve to never do it again. However, the longer they go without cutting, the more the tension mounts, and the greater their desire to self-harm becomes. Some factors that may indicate that a person might be at risk of self-harm include:
* They are experiencing depression, anxiety, or seem very unhappy.
* They have recently experienced a traumatic event, such as a breakup or sexual assault.
* They have trouble talking about or managing their emotions.
* They have a history of self-harm.
Some warning signs that a person may already be self-harming include:
* They have lots of unexplained injuries.
* They wear long sleeves, even during the summer or when they are hot.
* They are secretive or retreat during times of stress.
* They need to go to the emergency room or see a doctor because of unusual injuries.
This could mean they have cut deeper or injured themselves more than they intended.
A 2012 analysis found some common elements among hospitalized teens who self- harm:
* Teens who hurt themselves had lower scores on an attraction to life inventory.
* The majority (63.5%) met diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder. The remainder met the criteria for other personality disorders associated with trouble regulating emotions.
* More than half (53.8 percent) had high levels of depression.
A 2014 systematic review emphasizes that researchers have not thoroughly studied various therapeutic techniques for treating cutting. The review suggests the following treatments may help:
* dialectical behaviour therapy
* emotion regulation group therapy
* manual cognitive therapy
* dynamic deconstructive psychotherapy
* atypical antipsychotics
* naltrexone
* selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors with or without cognitive-behavioural therapy
(Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)
