Top 15 Misconceptions of Self-Injury

Although SI can be difficult to control or stop, most people who practice are able to stop.

1. Only females self-injure.
Studies show that 30%-40% of people who self injure are male.

2.  Self-injury is a suicide attempt or failed suicide attempt.
Research into the underlying motivations for self-injury reveals important distinctions between those attempting suicide and those who self-injure in order to manage their stress and cope with overwhelming negative feelings.Most studies find that self-injury is often undertaken as a means of avoiding suicide.

3. Only teenagers self-injure.
While it is true that the majority of those who self-injure do so during their adolescent years, people of all ages practice self-injury. Cases of self-injury have been documented in children aged seven years or younger and a number of adults engage in self-injury, too.

4.  Anyone who self-injures is crazy and should be locked up.
People who self-injure are no more psychotic than people who drown their sorrows in a bottle of liquor. For most who practice self-injury, it is used as a coping mechanism.However, it is a coping mechanism that is not understandable to many people and is not accepted by society.

5.  Self-injury is just attention-seeking.
For some, self-injury is clearly an attention-seeking act. In this case, it is very important to honor the intent – if someone is injuring him/herself for attention then that person clearly needs it – this person is crying out for help. The majority of people who engage in self-injury, however, go to great extremes to hide their cuts, scars or burns.Although not overtly attention-seeking, hidden self-injury is still a symptom of underlying distress and it merits attention from others who are in a position to help.

6.  Self-injury is untreatable.
Although self-injury can be difficult to control or stop,most people who practice it are able to stop at some point. There is, however, no “magic bullet” in the treatment of self-injury, as the behavior is most often a symptom of any of a variety of other underlying issues. Cognitive Behavioral therapies, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Group or Family therapy are those therapies most commonly used to treat self-injury. Anti-depressants or other psychiatric medications are also used to treat underlying depression or anxiety. Some who self-injure also successfully stop on their own, without ever seeking formal help. Because it is most often used as a coping mechanism, however, the practice of self-injury typically does not stop until the individual who uses it has other methods to cope and is fully ready to stop self-injuring – regardless of the treatment approach used.

7. People who self-injure are manipulative.
Self-injury is more about relieving tension and distress than it is about manipulating others. Although some individuals report starting the practice as a means of getting attention from someone, very few report this as a primary reason for continuing the practice.