Do You Suspect that Your Teen Is Into Self Mutilation?

Self mutilation, or self injury, can be devastating to parents when they learn or presume that their child is practicing it. Some parents just write it off as teen risky behavior and isolate it from their minds, thinking that they will grow out of it. At any rate, if you know that your teen is a self-injurer or even if you suspect it, it needs to be addressed.

The most common forms of self mutilation include cutting, burning, picking at the skin, or head banging. However, it can get way out of control with actions such as breaking bones, drinking harmful chemicals or amputation.

Most self-injurers hide the injuries, make seemly valid excuses for them, or conceal the behavior. Usually they are not suicidal, but some forms of self injury can result in death. People who mutilate themselves do it for a variety of reasons.

For instance, some don’t know how to cope with stress or tension, or are numb to the world and hurting themselves makes them feel better. Depression can play a role as can obsessive/compulsive behavior. People who were, or a being abused often take up the act of self mutilation. According to Matthew Tiemeyer , 25% of people with eating disorders engage in some type of self mutilation.

It can be a “way of fitting in”; however, in most cases there is an underlying cause such as physical, emotional or sexual abuse; substance abuse; anger problems; depression; obsessive-compulsive disorder; eating disorders; and so forth. It can also be sign of mental illness, such as personality disorders.

What to do about it?

Here are some resources that may helpful in dealing with the situation…

Hope and Healing for Kids Who Cut: Learning to Understand and Help Those Who Self-Injure By Marv Penner / Zondervan The issue of self-injury has become increasingly visible in the world of adolescents and young adults in recent years. The chaos of divorce, poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, and neglect has kids looking for ways to manage chronic and overwhelming emotional pain. In Hope and Healing author Marv Penner will take you into the world of self-injury, defining what it is and what it is not. He provides the tools and wisdom to help understand the pain and confusion a self-injurer experiences and how to walk with them toward the Light to find hope and healing.

Inside a Cutter's Mind: Understanding and Helping Those Who Self-Injure By Jerusha Clark & Dr. Earl Henslin / NAV Press What goes through the mind of someone who self-mutilates? Millions of young people are engaging in this disturbing trend called "cutting" that points to deep, emotional problems with no easy answers. Best-selling author Jerusha Clark and Dr. Earl Henslin take on this issue to shed light and understanding to a very troubling and dark disorder. Clark and Henslin draw from numerous interviews and research to offer hope to parents and struggling teens.

Becoming a Family that Heals: How to Resolve Past Issues and Free Your Future By Drs. Beverly & Tom Rodgers / Focus on the Family Healing a family takes more than a cosmetic makeover. Living in a fallen world, no one escapes the sting of emotional injuries. These scars are often bandaged quickly - only to manifest themselves later in life as painful jabs that cut into your spouse and children. How can you stop this cycle? Licensed counselors since 1980, Drs. Tom and Beverly Rodgers have seen countless families be truly healed even after decades of hurting each other. The Rodgers' practical healing process, based on authoritative research, will dispel your fears of a broken family and allow God to heal past wounds. This step-by-step model goes beyond discovering negative patterns of behavior - you'll learn to solve the problems that plague your family's psychological, interpersonal and spiritual lives. Though this process may require some pain, Becoming a Family That Heals is worth the effort.

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