&& i just want a way to get by..
The "Cutting" Misconception
Eric Beadle
Professor Fox
Writing 121
24 October 2007
Self-Mutilation: A Self Protection Method
They walk alone through the hallways, alone to class, alone to the bus, alone to their homes. They are alone inside, but it shows on the outside. The scars on their body scream out their pain. It is because they are self-mutilators that they are so misunderstood. They are separated from society, yet society ultimately decides that person’s intentions for themselves. The people they interact with glimpse the marks and think: They must yearn for death. They must want to finalize their loneliness, and make it so they never have to feel again. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Self-mutilators are misconceived as being suicidal when in reality most are looking for temporary fix.
Self-harmers are not looking for a permanent solution to their temporary situation. They self harm for a temporary fix. They don’t want to end it all. Suicide usually is not on their agenda. This is a common mistake that the people who try to help self-mutilators make. Often, they jump the gun and immediately assume that their child, friend, whoever the self-mutilator they are dealing with may be, wants to die. They confront the person about suicide, and more than likely, the self-mutilator will feel even more misunderstood and alone. When people assume that a self-mutilator is suicidal, they are being ignorant and pushing that self-mutilator even further away from them. Instead of assuming, a person who has discovered a self-mutilator should talk to that person, or do research to find out why self-mutilators do what they do. Often, when a self mutilator is ignored and misunderstood for any vast amount of time without any psychological help, they can develop certain dangerous and serious mental disorders. Some of these include, but are not limited to, depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and social anxiety. Self-mutilation is not a disorder in itself, and does not always go hand in hand with any clinical mental illness. The mental illnesses, often clinical depression, are what cause most suicides, not self-mutilation. According to Martha Ainsworth, “Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain” (“Suicide”). Self-mutilators are using their self harm as a way to cope with the emotional pain they experience on a day to day basis.
Emotional pain is something that we have all experienced, and dealt with in many different ways. The way we deal with a confrontation that is brought to us is called “coping”, and there are hundreds of ways that human beings cope with confrontations, good ways and bad ways alike. Steven Levenkron states that “For the self mutilator it is the experience of pain - for its calming effect on [their] more painful psychological state - that is being sought.” (24) A self-mutilator is using their self harm as a way to cope with the emotional stress they are handed in life (Phais). Self mutilation “…is precisely the mechanism of relief for those whose world is one of choices between one kind of pain or another.” (Levenkron 32). They are replacing emotional hurt with physical hurt. Although this is an unhealthy way to deal with stress, it is their way of not “going over the edge” and committing the act of suicide. In some ways, one could say that the self harm actually keeps some individuals from committing suicide, or thinking suicidal thoughts. There are many reasons why a self-mutilator chooses to harm themselves. An individual may self harm because of severe feelings of loneliness, to feel physical pain instead of emotional pain, to make sure they can still “feel” on the outside because they feel so “numb” on the inside, or to express or let out the severe emotions that they cannot deal with (Staff).
Under the surface, there is a lot more going to work when a self-mutilator harms themselves. Even they may not know why it feels so good to self harm, and why they obtain such relief from the act. Levenkron notes that “When the body is injured, hormones called endorphins are released to fight anxiety, agitation, and depression” (105). Plainly put, endorphins are chemicals released in the hypothalamus of the brain as natural pain killers. These can be released not only through injury, but by exercise, certain drug usage, and even eating chili peppers. (“Endorphin”). This is another reason a self-mutilator will continue to injure themselves. They are used to the “good feeling” they get after an injury. The rush becomes addictive, and temporarily overshadows the emotional pain that a self-mutilator is feeling at that moment. This small high quickly dissipates, which is why the self injurer will repeatedly injure their body. . Often, the injuries become more severe, or a person will self-harm more often because small injuries will not continue to give them the same amount of relief. This is often why people assume another’s desires to commit suicide, because of an increase in self harm on the body.
Millions of Americans each day hurt themselves on purpose. They don’t do it to commit suicide, even though some might assume so. They might do it to cope with deep emotional distress, to replace emotional pain with physical pain, or to get high off the endorphins they are releasing into their body with every self injury. Self-mutilation is not the cause of almost all suicides, a clinically diagnosed mental illness is. Whatever the reasons, Suicide is almost never the goal of a self-mutilator. Self-mutilators are misconceived as being suicidal when in reality most are looking for temporary fix. Self-mutilation is that temporary fix, keeping a self-injurer away from the permanent solution called Suicide.
Works Cited
Ainsworth, Martha. Suicide: Read This First. Ed. Martha Ainsworth. 2006. Metanoia. 24 Oct.
2007 .
"Endorphin." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 24 Oct. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 24
Oct. 2007 .
Levenkron, Steven. Cutting. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998. 24, 32, 105.
Phais, Dana. "The Self-Harm or S/M Article." Informed Consent. 24 June 2006. The Counsellor.
24 Oct. 2007 .
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Self-Injury/Cutting." MayoClinic.com: Tools for Healthier Lives. 2007.
Mayo Clinic. 24 Oct. 2007 .
Eric Beadle
Professor Fox
Writing 121
24 October 2007
Self-Mutilation: A Self Protection Method
They walk alone through the hallways, alone to class, alone to the bus, alone to their homes. They are alone inside, but it shows on the outside. The scars on their body scream out their pain. It is because they are self-mutilators that they are so misunderstood. They are separated from society, yet society ultimately decides that person’s intentions for themselves. The people they interact with glimpse the marks and think: They must yearn for death. They must want to finalize their loneliness, and make it so they never have to feel again. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Self-mutilators are misconceived as being suicidal when in reality most are looking for temporary fix.
Self-harmers are not looking for a permanent solution to their temporary situation. They self harm for a temporary fix. They don’t want to end it all. Suicide usually is not on their agenda. This is a common mistake that the people who try to help self-mutilators make. Often, they jump the gun and immediately assume that their child, friend, whoever the self-mutilator they are dealing with may be, wants to die. They confront the person about suicide, and more than likely, the self-mutilator will feel even more misunderstood and alone. When people assume that a self-mutilator is suicidal, they are being ignorant and pushing that self-mutilator even further away from them. Instead of assuming, a person who has discovered a self-mutilator should talk to that person, or do research to find out why self-mutilators do what they do. Often, when a self mutilator is ignored and misunderstood for any vast amount of time without any psychological help, they can develop certain dangerous and serious mental disorders. Some of these include, but are not limited to, depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and social anxiety. Self-mutilation is not a disorder in itself, and does not always go hand in hand with any clinical mental illness. The mental illnesses, often clinical depression, are what cause most suicides, not self-mutilation. According to Martha Ainsworth, “Suicide is not chosen; it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain” (“Suicide”). Self-mutilators are using their self harm as a way to cope with the emotional pain they experience on a day to day basis.
Emotional pain is something that we have all experienced, and dealt with in many different ways. The way we deal with a confrontation that is brought to us is called “coping”, and there are hundreds of ways that human beings cope with confrontations, good ways and bad ways alike. Steven Levenkron states that “For the self mutilator it is the experience of pain - for its calming effect on [their] more painful psychological state - that is being sought.” (24) A self-mutilator is using their self harm as a way to cope with the emotional stress they are handed in life (Phais). Self mutilation “…is precisely the mechanism of relief for those whose world is one of choices between one kind of pain or another.” (Levenkron 32). They are replacing emotional hurt with physical hurt. Although this is an unhealthy way to deal with stress, it is their way of not “going over the edge” and committing the act of suicide. In some ways, one could say that the self harm actually keeps some individuals from committing suicide, or thinking suicidal thoughts. There are many reasons why a self-mutilator chooses to harm themselves. An individual may self harm because of severe feelings of loneliness, to feel physical pain instead of emotional pain, to make sure they can still “feel” on the outside because they feel so “numb” on the inside, or to express or let out the severe emotions that they cannot deal with (Staff).
Under the surface, there is a lot more going to work when a self-mutilator harms themselves. Even they may not know why it feels so good to self harm, and why they obtain such relief from the act. Levenkron notes that “When the body is injured, hormones called endorphins are released to fight anxiety, agitation, and depression” (105). Plainly put, endorphins are chemicals released in the hypothalamus of the brain as natural pain killers. These can be released not only through injury, but by exercise, certain drug usage, and even eating chili peppers. (“Endorphin”). This is another reason a self-mutilator will continue to injure themselves. They are used to the “good feeling” they get after an injury. The rush becomes addictive, and temporarily overshadows the emotional pain that a self-mutilator is feeling at that moment. This small high quickly dissipates, which is why the self injurer will repeatedly injure their body. . Often, the injuries become more severe, or a person will self-harm more often because small injuries will not continue to give them the same amount of relief. This is often why people assume another’s desires to commit suicide, because of an increase in self harm on the body.
Millions of Americans each day hurt themselves on purpose. They don’t do it to commit suicide, even though some might assume so. They might do it to cope with deep emotional distress, to replace emotional pain with physical pain, or to get high off the endorphins they are releasing into their body with every self injury. Self-mutilation is not the cause of almost all suicides, a clinically diagnosed mental illness is. Whatever the reasons, Suicide is almost never the goal of a self-mutilator. Self-mutilators are misconceived as being suicidal when in reality most are looking for temporary fix. Self-mutilation is that temporary fix, keeping a self-injurer away from the permanent solution called Suicide.
Works Cited
Ainsworth, Martha. Suicide: Read This First. Ed. Martha Ainsworth. 2006. Metanoia. 24 Oct.
2007 .
"Endorphin." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 24 Oct. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 24
Oct. 2007 .
Levenkron, Steven. Cutting. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998. 24, 32, 105.
Phais, Dana. "The Self-Harm or S/M Article." Informed Consent. 24 June 2006. The Counsellor.
24 Oct. 2007 .
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Self-Injury/Cutting." MayoClinic.com: Tools for Healthier Lives. 2007.
Mayo Clinic. 24 Oct. 2007 .