People who do not know much about self-injury have a tendency to squirm at the people who resorts to these acts. This is inevitable, because self-injury is an issue that is very complex in nature; and it bypasses the social norms that society has confined normal patterns of behavior on. In an effort to delve away from these norms, however subtly, it is important to look at the issue on self-injury as an issue that reflects reality. In order to cope with this rerality, it is necessary to know what the real score is.

FICTION #1: People who engage in self-injury are psychotic

Self-injury is a coping mechanism, albeit, it’s not as widely accepted as the other coping mechanism are. Same as drinking alcohol and using illegal drugs, self-injury is a coping mechanism that should be avoided because of the hazards it would likely cause, however, it is not considered in the same level as psychosis.

FICTION #2: People who engage in self-injury are suicidal

People who cause harm to themselves are not suicidal. On the contrary, they are merely trying to maintain a sense of balance in their lives so as not to lose themselves entirely to their overwhelming emotions. They do not seriously want to put an end to their own lives. However, because self-injury can lead to serious physical harm, teens who resort to this type of coping mechanism are still advised to seek medical assistance.

FICTION #3: People who engage in self-injury are hopeless cases

Therapy and counseling sessions are known to help parasuicidals. Aside from these, teaching effective strategies to cope with problems can also be taught to parasuicidals, just so they can have a better alternative than of coping. Further, medications that stabilize mood, ease depression, and calm anxiety may also be used. Suffice to say, there is hope for people who cause harm ro themselves.

Self-injury is a complex cycle that is undeniably unhealthy and hazardous to those who are engaging in it. Have you ever wondered why teens resort to harming themselves? There are several factors that contribute to the reasons behind teen parasuicide. The topmost reasons include, but are not limited to: (1) release of physiological and psychological tension, (2) inability to cope with life’s challenges, and (3) problems involving the serotonin system.

Some teens harm themselves when they get emotionally overwhelmed, justifying the fact that the “high” they get from hurting themselves “stabilizes” their over raging emotions, whether these emotions are positive or negative. As studies suggests, this is indeed true. Emotional discomfort can indeed be toned down to a bearable level by hurting one’s self.

Another factor is the teens’ inability to cope when they are emotionally overwhelmed. There are teens who do not know how to effectively manage their own emotions, thus, their emotions, more often than not, get the best of them. Simply put, teens who are at the mercy of their own emotions, so to speak, are susceptible to self-injury because they have low levels of tolerance for emotions that border on the extreme.

Lastly, the serotonin system may also play a role in self-injury. Problems with serotonin may trigger an abnormally impulsive behavior to a teen, which is likely to result in his or her aggression towards himself or herself.

Jonah is a quiet young man who is often labeled as an outcast. Of late though, Jonah has started fitting in with his peers’ social scene. He has tried out for the boys’ basketball team—and he got in. He began going out with girls and lately, he’s also been seen hanging out with the “in crowd”. Everything seems to be going well for Jonah. His mother couldn’t have been happier because finally, her son has outgrown his extreme shyness. Lately, though, Jonah has been ghastly cuts and bruises in his hands and arms. His mother was beginning to worry that Jonah is purposefully hurting himself. Concerned, Jona’s mother decided to take him to a youth councilor.

Based on the councilor’s diagnosis, Jonah is not resorting to self-injury. He drew this conclusion based on Jonah’s primary purpose for hurting himself is to fit in with his new crowd.

Self-injury, also called parasuicide, is an act that involves causing physical harm to one’s own body in order to alter a mood state. However, not all acts of causing physical harm to one’s self, which borders on having psychological problems, are considered self-injury. More so if the primary purpose for causing harm to one’s self is due to sexual pleasure, body decoration, spiritual ritual, or as a means for being cool or fitting in, as was in the case of Jonah.