Q n A : issues of bein.. ref: P. Elam,PhD
Q:
I have a friend who has begun resorting to constant self-mutilation. Is this depression, or do you know of any other condition that this may be? I have been unable to find much in the literature about this disorder. Where can my friend find some resources about it? Why does it occur?
--Leslie
A:
What you described your friend's doing could be a type of behavior referred to by several names: self-mutilation, self-injurious behavior (sometimes abbreviated as SIB), and self-inflicted violence (SIV). Such behavior can be a feature of several different disorders. It would be up to someone assessing your friend's personally to stipulate which one -- if any -- she might be struggling with. In the general (noninstitutionalized) population, however, self-injurious behavior is often seen in people with borderline personality disorder and frequently in individuals who are survivors of abuse or trauma.
Why do people do such things to themselves? It's not a type of suicide attempt, since the ultimate goal is not death. The purpose of the behavior can vary from individual to individual, but overall is usually an attempt to cope with or ease psychological distress. Some self-mutilation is done to release emotional tension that the person has not learned to manage in other ways. Sometimes it's an attempt by a numbed-out or dissociated person to feel SOMETHING. A person who feels wounded and ugly on the inside may also self-mutilate in an attempt to make his or her outside match what the inside feels like, as a way of letting others know how hurt or wounded he or she feels.
I have a friend who has begun resorting to constant self-mutilation. Is this depression, or do you know of any other condition that this may be? I have been unable to find much in the literature about this disorder. Where can my friend find some resources about it? Why does it occur?
--Leslie
A:
What you described your friend's doing could be a type of behavior referred to by several names: self-mutilation, self-injurious behavior (sometimes abbreviated as SIB), and self-inflicted violence (SIV). Such behavior can be a feature of several different disorders. It would be up to someone assessing your friend's personally to stipulate which one -- if any -- she might be struggling with. In the general (noninstitutionalized) population, however, self-injurious behavior is often seen in people with borderline personality disorder and frequently in individuals who are survivors of abuse or trauma.
Why do people do such things to themselves? It's not a type of suicide attempt, since the ultimate goal is not death. The purpose of the behavior can vary from individual to individual, but overall is usually an attempt to cope with or ease psychological distress. Some self-mutilation is done to release emotional tension that the person has not learned to manage in other ways. Sometimes it's an attempt by a numbed-out or dissociated person to feel SOMETHING. A person who feels wounded and ugly on the inside may also self-mutilate in an attempt to make his or her outside match what the inside feels like, as a way of letting others know how hurt or wounded he or she feels.
posted by skeetzoe at 12:45 PM
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