Answer Addiction

Tag: self-harm

  • Are Young People Who Self-Harm More Likely To Commit Violent Crimes?

    Are Young People Who Self-Harm More Likely To Commit Violent Crimes?

    A new study examined whether adolescents who self-harm have a higher risk of hurting others. 

    New research has determined that a predilection for self-harm in adolescence and early adulthood may also foretell a risk for harming others. Data culled from a long-term study on twins from preschool age until their early 20s suggested that individuals who reported harming themselves were three times more likely to commit violent crimes than those that did not.

    Negative experiences during childhood, including mistreatment and low self-control, appeared to increase the odds of a self-harmer becoming a “dual harmer,” as the study labeled such individuals, as well as developing a dependency on alcohol and/or drugs.

    “We know that some individuals who self-harm also inflict harm on others,” said study author Leah Richmond-Rakerd of Duke University. “What has not been clear is whether there are early-life characteristics or experiences that increase the risk of violent offending among individuals who self-harm.” 

    The results of the study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, examined data compiled on more than 2,200 twins born in the United Kingdom between 1994 and 1995 who took part in the Environmental (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, which examined childhood behavior disorders in its subjects between the ages of five and 18.

    Beginning at age 18, the E-Risk study asked participants to report any experience with self-harm since the age of 12 as well as violent behaviors and any criminal records accrued between the ages of 10 and 22. Additional childhood experiences, including family psychiatry, maltreatment and low self-control, were also reviewed for the study.

    Of the 2,049 participants in the study, 13.4% met the criteria for self-harm, while 19.4% matched criteria for violent crime. Among the individuals who presented as dual harmers, there were higher incidents of low self-control and maltreatment; as US News and World Report noted, genetics and family history did not appear to impact the likelihood of self-harm or dual harm.

    “Our study suggests that dual-harming adolescents have experienced self-control difficulties and been victims of violence from a young age,” said Richmond-Rakerd. Other clinical characteristics exhibited by dual harmers included “higher lethality behaviors,” such as hanging or drowning, and acts of self-aggression, such as hitting themselves with objects or banging their heads against a wall and aggression towards others. Self-harmers, by comparison, appeared to engage in lower-lethality methods like cutting.

    Dual harmers also appeared to have a greater chance of exhibiting psychotic symptoms and meeting criteria for drug or alcohol dependency. As Richmond-Rakerd noted, early determination of the chance of dual harm behavior among self-harming young people through a “treatment-oriented, rather than punishment-oriented approach” could “guide interventions that prevent and reduce interpersonal violence.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • "Sharp Objects" To End Episodes With Mental Health, Substance Abuse PSA

    "Sharp Objects" To End Episodes With Mental Health, Substance Abuse PSA

    The HBO limited series follows a reporter who struggles with self-harm and alcoholism while investigating a murder case.

    The HBO limited series Sharp Objects will feature a card at the conclusion of each episode that will provide information on help for those who may be experiencing issues of self-harm and/or substance abuse.

    The critically praised series, created by Marti Noxon (Dietland) and based on the novel by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl), stars Amy Adams as a reporter who struggles with both conditions while investigating a murder case.

    As Deadline‘s coverage noted, the addition echoes the use of a similar title card on Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.

    The card reads as follows:

    “If you or someone you know struggles with self-harm or substance abuse, please seek help by contacting the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) 1-800-662-HELP (4357).”

    In addition to the card, HBO has also set up a website with links to resources including SAMHSA and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

    The series’ title alludes to Adams’ reporter, Camille Preaker, whose troubled childhood has manifested itself in adulthood through alcoholism and self-harm.

    The first episode opens shortly after her discharge from a psychiatric hospital, and over the course of the next seven episodes, Preaker will return to the hometown where her issues first took root, and which bloom anew as she becomes deeply involved in the murder of two girls there.

    As Deadline noted, the Netflix drama 13 Reasons Why, which focused on a teenager’s suicide, drew critical fire from members of the mental health community for what was regarded as graphic depictions of rape and suicide.

    The network added a disclaimer and PSA to the second season of the show that advised viewers about the subject matter and, as Vulture noted, even suggested that certain individuals should consider watching the program with a “trusted adult.” 13 Reasons Why is slated to return for its third season in 2019.

    In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, author Gillian Flynn, who also serves as an executive producer for Sharp Objects, discussed the very personal reasons for tackling the subject of self-harm in the book and series.

    “I felt that misery of, like, ‘Why can’t anyone see how much pain I’m in?’ I wished I could bear witness somehow,” she said. I had these fantasies of being mangled—of showing how much pain I was in.”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • Garbage's Shirley Manson Pens Essay About Self-Harm

    Garbage's Shirley Manson Pens Essay About Self-Harm

    “Today I try to remain vigilant against these old thought patterns. I vow to hold my ground. I attempt to be kind, not only to myself but also to other people.”

    Shirley Manson has written a vulnerable op-ed for The New York Times, revealing that she began cutting herself as a teenager.

    Manson writes that as a rage-filled teenager who had been bullied, had no direction in life, and felt “crushing depression” and the beginnings of alcoholism, she had no outlet for her emotions.

    “I didn’t know I was a cutter until the first time I chose to cut. I didn’t even know it was a ‘thing,’” Manson wrote.

    After an argument with a boyfriend, Manson took a small, silver knife she had tied to her shoelace and spontaneously cut her arm. She experienced feelings of relief and release from rage.

    Manson wrote, “The problem of course with any practice of self-harm is that once you choose to indulge in it, you get better, more efficient, at it. I started to hurt myself more regularly. The cuts got deeper. I hid the scars under my stockings and never breathed a word about it to anyone.”

    After a long reprieve from cutting, Manson returned to self-harm when again under incredible stress, this time as a famous musician. She was finally able to work free from the self-destructive act with time, emotional growth, and recognition of what was leading her to cut.

    Manson reflects, “Today I try to remain vigilant against these old thought patterns. I vow to hold my ground. I choose to speak up. I attempt to be kind, not only to myself but also to other people. I surround myself with those who treat me well. I strive to be creative and determine to do things that make me happy. I believe it is not what we look like that is important, but who we are. It is how we choose to move through this bewildering world of ours that truly matters.”

    Shirley Manson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She became famous as the vocalist for the alt-rock band Garbage. Garbage released their self-titled debut album in 1995 which went double platinum, with hits like “Only Happy When It Rains” and “Stupid Girl.”

    Manson told Consequence of Sound that Garbage will release a new album in 2019.

    On the band’s future U.S. concert schedule, Manson said, “It will be a very limited run. This year is supposed to be us writing our new record, so we loathe to take off too much time. But we understand there’s been a frenzy demand from the fans, so we’re going to try to put on a few dates [in the U.S.].”

    View the original article at thefix.com

  • When Teens Hurt Themselves…Online

    When Teens Hurt Themselves…Online

    “You should just kill yourself.” I thought that if people thought the messages I was saying to myself were coming from other people, they would be more willing to help me out.

    Trigger warning: The following story discusses self-harm.

    What happens when social media becomes the weapon of choice for self-harm; when the cyberbully is also the victim?

    Alicia Raimundo says she created ghost social media accounts to cyberbully herself as a teen in the hopes of validating her story. It was a coping skill, says the Toronto resident, now 28, and the only way she could think of to place her pain on full display in the hopes of friends and mental health experts coming to her aid. She didn’t know it then, but has learned since, that this form of anonymously posting critical, derogatory or otherwise hurtful comments about oneself is what mental health experts are now referring to as digital self-harm.

    “I thought that if people thought the messages I was saying to myself were coming from other people, they would be more willing to help me out,” Raimundo says, adding that she often posted mean comments others had said to her in person but for which she had no documentation or evidence. “I would say things to myself like: ‘You should just kill yourself,’ ‘You are a fake,’ ‘you are not worthy of love or support.’” 

    Raimundo, who has worked in the mental health field for eight years, says she also sent herself messages that read ‘You are hideous,’ and ‘You are just pretending and everyone will find out soon enough.’ She would rationalize the negative and violent messages she would send to herself, she says, by telling herself that the negative somehow served as a balance for the good in her life. 

    Raimundo’s story, although new to those unfamiliar with digital self-harm, is not unique. A survey published in late 2016 in the Journal of Adolescent Health asked 5,593 middle and high school students from across the US to share their experiences with cyberbullying and digital self-harm. Of those surveyed, about six percent reported anonymously posting something mean about themselves online. Males were more likely to engage in digital self-harm at 7.1 percent reported, with female respondents reporting at 5.3 percent. According to the survey, risk factors for vulnerable teens include sexual orientation, experience with school bullying and cyberbullying, depressive symptoms, and drug use.

    Teens who engage in physical self-harm also often struggle with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and/or difficulties with emotional regulation, says the American Psychological Association. It is important to note, however, that not all teens who cyberbully themselves have a mental illness.

    “Teens typically are experiencing many intense feelings and events for the first time, and during an already intense period of self discovery and understanding,” says Texas-Based Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate Stephanie Bloodworth. “There are different reasons they may engage in digital self-harm, but the underlying force so often seems to be that they are seeking some kind of solution to their feelings of self doubt or low self worth.”

    These teens need help, says Bloodworth, but mental health caregivers and adult support figures should take care not to minimize the experience and mental pain of those they are trying to help. 

    “From a solutions focus, teens don’t need a different perspective, [such as saying] ‘This isn’t the end of the world, you know,’” Bloodworth says. “They need tools to help them handle what does feel like the end of the world they knew. They need tools and help to get the attention and support they need in healthy and appropriate ways.”

    Raimundo, the mental health professional who used to cyberbully herself as a teen, agrees.

    “I broke out of the cycle of digital self-harm by finally finding supports that listened to me and validated my story. People who I could speak openly and honestly to about engaging in digital self-harm, why I was doing it, and who would hold the space for me without judging me,” she says. “People saw me as someone trying to ask for help but not knowing all the right words to do so. They saw those messages as something that was actually happening in my head and addressed it as such.”

    Raimundo now works as an online Peer Supporter for Stella’s Place. 

    “I really wanted to create safe spaces online for people to reach out for help, because I found getting help from people who understood the internet as a community was really hard,” she says. “I wanted to provide positive spaces and places for people to access behind their phones and break out of the negative cycles they find themselves in.”

    Raimundo believes her experience with digital self-harm helps people open up if they are engaging in digital self-harm because it’s such a stigmatized form of self-harm that isn’t well understood. 

    “When they chat with me, it’s my hope that they are chatting with someone who gets it and can walk alongside them in their journey to recovery.”

    Raimundo also offers this advice to those who may find themselves in a position to help teens digitally self-harming themselves. Approach the situation with empathy and a listener’s ear, she says.

    “Don’t jump to the idea that we are doing it for the LOLs or because we are emotional vampires. Listen to why we are doing it, and try and connect us with the help with we need,” says Raimundo. “Yes, people engaging in these behaviors are crying for help, and we should give it to them.”

    If you or someone you know may be at risk for suicide, immediately seek help. You are not alone. Options include:

    View the original article at thefix.com