Depression Treatment Plan

Many people think that self-harm is no big deal. “It’s just for attention,” they say “they’re not really hurting themselves… right?” Wrong. Self-harm is a HUGE deal. In fact, it is 40-100 times more common than suicide. Suicide has been around for ages, while self-harm is a new trend that has been growing since the mid 1990’s, and the numbers are still skyrocketing. Self-harm was three times more common in 2011 than in 2007. Now, tell me that you think that that isn’t a big deal. Statistics show that 1% of the United States self-harms. So imagine you are in a room with 200 other people. It is likely that two of these people hurt themselves. Sometimes it is daily, other times it may just be occasional. Two people may not seem like a lot, but in reality it is.

As someone who has dealt with the loneliness and pain of self harm I would like to share with you the affects and health risks of self harm. Contrary to popular belief self harm is not only done for the attention of others. Sometimes it’s a way that people

“Why Teenagers Cut, and How to Help,” by Jessica Lahey was quite an interesting article to read. This article talked about many things associated with teenagers cutting themselves and how parents, teachers and other adults could help prevent teens from causing self-injuries such as cuts to the body. It first started with the author talking about a girl named Sarah that she met. Sarah was a 15-year-old teenager who was at the age of twelve causing self-injuries by cutting herself which she felt made her feel better do to one of her parents abusing her. The author used Sarah’s story to understand what causes teens to make self-injuries by asking “Dr. Michael Hollander who is the director of Training and Consultations of 3East Dialectical Behavioral Therapy program. This program is at the McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. As a matter of fact, he also is the author of “Helping Teens Who Cut: Understanding and Ending Self-Injury” ().

People who self harm just want to escape from reality and they do not want to face their depression or anxiety; it is a way for them to cope with stress. Self harm is not considered to be its own mental health condition and doctors believe it is to be caused by depression and/or other mental health illnesses such as obsessive compulsive disorder. Many things can cause someone to self harm such as self-anger, self-hatred, cope with negative feelings, and to even just feel better (Canadian Mental Health Association). Although those who hurt themselves do not want to end their lives, it can be a sign of a suicidal attempt in the future. It is hard to tell if some self harms and family/friends are surprised when they find out that their loved one hurts themselves. Some of the many symptoms of self harm include scars on their body, wearing long sleeved clothing in the summer or hot weather, and spending much of their time alone (Mayo Clinic). There are other symptoms of self harm that do not involve hurting one’s self with a razor or blade (Help Guide). Self harm does not only affect the one who is doing it, but also the family and the ones around the self

The most common form of self-harm is skin-cutting but self-harm also covers a wide range of behaviors including, but not limited to, burning, scratching, banging or hitting body parts, interfering with wound healing hair-pulling and the ingestion of substances or objects.The desire to self-harm is listed in the DSM-IV-TR as a symptom of borderline personality disorder. However, patients with other diagnoses may also self-harm, including those with depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and severe personality disorders.Self-harm is also apparent in high-functioning individuals who have no underlying clinical diagnosis. The motivations for self-harm vary and it may be used to fulfill a number of different functions. These functions include self-harm being used as a coping mechanism which provides temporary relief of intense feelings such as anxiety, depression, stress, emotional numbness or a sense of failure or self-loathing and other mental traits including low self-esteem or perfectionism. Self-harm is often associated with a history of trauma and abuse, including emotional and sexual abuse. There are a number of different methods that can be used to treat self-harm and which concentrate on either treating the underlying causes or on treating the behaviour itself. When self-harm is associated with depression, antidepressant drugs and treatments may be effective. Other approaches involve avoidance

Self mutilation is defined by experts as the act of intentionally harming one's body for emotional relief. There’s different ways people self harm, for example, cutting their skin, biting themselves, head banging, burning of the skin, punching and hitting themselves, scratching or pinching and even hair pulling. Along with the ways, in 1989 there was a survey only involving 240 females self harming in the US.

There is a danger that comes with self injury cutting that can cause mental damage. The act of cutting yourself leaves deep emotional scars that go way beyond the physical cutting. Cutting when used as a way to respond to a stress that you may be facing can cause your brain to remember to choose this form of relief whenever stressed or depressed.

It was also suggested that some people self harm as a way of communicating or expressing things they cannot speak. It is suggested when self abuse is used in this mannor it is considered manipulative an attempt at getting a need met or to influence another. If this is the case it is important for the therapist to listen to what that need is and to help the individual satisfy that need in a constructive and effective manner

People who attempt self-harm often think of suicide. On the other hand, there is a saying that people who cut are ‘attention seekers’. Self-harm is difficult to explain, some say that “physical pain wipes out the mental pain for awhile” . Self-harming sends a ‘feel good’ vibe through your body which can make it an addictive pain. However, Self harm is not a mental illness. On the other hand, self-harm can come from disorders such as Personality Disorder, Eating disorder, and Anxiety disorder. People who do self-harm most likely have experienced neglect, abuse, or possibly a deeply disturbing or stressful experience. If a person does drugs or drinks they also could have a high possibility of self-harm. Drugs and Alcohol abuse all lower

I almost self-harmed on multiple occasions but instead I dug my nails into my skin and did not eat for days. I have felt trapped inside my body but I guess I drew a line between self-harming and the other things I did. I think part of that was due to my foreign relationship with violence. I thought that as soon as I made myself bleed, I must be really bad. Of course, I did need counseling and medication but I didn’t

Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a behavior in which an individual commits an act with the purpose of physically harming themselves with or without real suicidal intent. The reasons for self-harm are complex and not everyone self-harms for the same reason. The cause of self-harm varies with age and can start at any given moment. Self-harm behaviors normally end, but for many it can last well into adulthood. The causes of self-harm are both psychological and environmental in nature, but can overall be seen as a way to cope with stress. As the main reasons for self-injury relate to stress, one of the main environmental components of self-harm is the presence of trauma. This may be a past trauma, such as a high rate of sexual or physical assault

Self-harm is the demonstration of deliberately cutting or ruining ones possess body which regularly causes scarring or changeless tissue harm. There are a few unique terms which are likewise used to portray self-injury which incorporate self-hurt, self-harmful conduct, self mutilation, and self-caused viciousness.

Although in the long term of cutting these people may have higher rates of suicide. The wounds that have caused suicides are similar to “don’t judge a book by its cover”, just because their wounds might not be as deep or as long than other, they are still suffering. The Royal College in the United Kingdom concur that, “Self-harming behaviors have become a challenging and complex public health issue...and the behaviors themselves are quite diverse” (2015 Royal College of Psychiatrists). Someone who scratches themselves may be in just as much pain as someone who is going to the hospital right now because they need 15 stiches on their arm. The British Journal of School Nursing also agrees, “An expression of personal distress, usually made in private, by an individual who hurts him or herself. The nature and meaning of self-harm, however, vary greatly from person to person. In addition, the reason a person harms him or herself may different on each occasion, and should not presumed to be the same” (British Journal of School Nursing). Identifying self-harm symptoms is highly important for helping someone who is suffering from cutting

The cause of self-harm could be brought on by thing such as bullying, abuse (house abusive) in which this case the victim may think they deserve the pain then inflicting it on themselves, mental health problems and depression which is leading cause. Depression isn’t always widely addressed so it makes it harder for us to understand the emotional pain someone must feel for them inflict pain on themselves as an only solution to issue. It’s shocking how someone can be emotionally broken that the only way to relieve mental pain is to inflict physical pain upon themselves. It’s complicated what runs through their minds, almost as if, once they visit they can’t escape. Almost as if demons are inside their head and just won’t go away.

What is self-harm? Hawton, K (2002) stated that the definition of deliberate self-harm as 4 types of behaviour. Initiated behaviour, for example “self-cutting, jumping from height”, in which they intended to cause harm to themselves. Ingesting a substance in excess of the prescribed amount from a doctor. For the majority of causes people self-harm they intend to die but often intention is more to punish themselves, express their distress or relieve unbearable tension. Self-harm can also be a cry for help.