Self-Mutilation

By Stephanie Rairdan

  You’ve likely seen people with scars on their arms or always wearing long sleeves. Yes, there are often legitimate reasons for these actions, but has it ever occurred that it could possibly be that they’ve self-injured?

  From my own experience, I’ve found that many who self injure, which can include cutting, burning, or even head banging, will hide their wounds for many reasons. One reason may be because they are ashamed of their actions, which in turn, may end up resulting in them injuring themselves more. Kind of a catch 22 if you think about it. Also, they may worry about what their friends will think. In turn, their wounds are hidden from many, aside from a select few. Even then, that is rare.

  Many times, when people think of self-injury, they quickly assume that it means “Oh! This person cut!” but in reality, that can be very false. The person could claw, burn, poison, pinch, or bite themselves for example. Any of these are saddening examples of the things people will turn to.

  Some of the reasons as to why people will self injure can be due to depression, which is the most common, anorexia, bulimia, or pretty much anything that can cause them emotional pain. A child’s parent’s divorce for example can lead to them cutting as a teenager. Even family history can play a part in self-injury and suicide. When someone has a form of mental health problem, they can become more prone to self-mutilation.

  A common mistake in the minds of many is that females are more likely to self injure than males are. This though is not true. My cousin, Bret, who is 16, has been self-injuring for a long time. He has only revealed this though to his older sister and me. My older brother used to self injure during the time he abused ecstasy. Though cutting is a lot less common among males, other forms of self-injury are. Head banging, burning, breaking bones, and hitting things can be much more common.