Pillthrill
Bluelighter
Background information on the self-injury, suicide and depression awareness day.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=78301910&v=info#!/event.php?eid=279693068238&index=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Write_Love_on_Her_Arms
I have taken part of a research paper I have written to provide information I have gleaned from researching self-injury and suicide. Please take the time to educate yourself on this mental health issue that plagues so many. You could make a difference.
This essay will answer the follow questions-
1. Why do people self-injure/ cut?
2. How many people suffer from self-injury and suicide?
3. Why is it important that we take this mental health issue seriously?
4. What are the warning signs of depression, self-injury and suicide?
You will find these answers in BOLD.
Definition of Goth and Emo, More information on my proposed study as well as citations are available upon request.
Also, Please remember that this is years and years of work on my behalf and my own composition. Please share this information with others, but give credit where credit is due. Thank you!
“To Write Love On Her Arms” Day
November 12 - 13, 2010
The study of self injury and suicide is highly complex. One reason this is true is because there is no consensus on what constitutes self-injury. Though there isn’t a universally accepted term or criteria for this behavior. In North America attempted suicide is defined as one episode where there is at least some suicidal intent, especially when the behavior is repeated. In the UK deliberate self harm is used for all incidents that are survived, with or without suicidal intent, although the use of “deliberate” is now falling out of favor. In the US, deliberate self harm is used for all harm done to the body; usually this is repetitive with suicidal ideation, and used for less lethal methods. Deliberate and voluntary physical self-injury can include any form of injurious behavior regardless of intent. The behaviors include, but are not limited to cutting, overdosing, attempted hanging, self-strangulation, burning, and running into traffic. Parasuicide is defined as all survived episodes regardless of the intention. Other definitions of parasuicide include acts without a fatal outcome but would have resulted in serious harm without intervention. Self-mutilation, also known as self-injurious behavior or self-wounding, is serious bodily harm without suicidal intent. This includes repetitive, superficial injury. According to studies self-mutilation is defined as the direct and deliberate harm to self without suicidal intent, including non-suicidal self- injury. Self-injury, self-harm by methods that are not seen as socially acceptable, including self-poisoning and deliberate superficial, regardless of suicidal intent, ambivalence towards death may be noted. Believing that the person has no ideation of dying can lead a clinician to think there is no need for further treatment. This can remove the possibility for change. However it should not be assumed that those who self-harm will never suffer from suicidal ideation. Forms of self-injury include nine categories that may be co-occurring: 1. Cutting 2. Biting 3. Abrading 4. Severing 5. Inserting. 6. Burning 7. Ingesting or Inhaling 8. Hitting and 9. Constricting. Cutting type behaviors have been shown to be more common at 43 - 64.4%.
Evidence suggests that the primary motive for self-injurious behavior is to provide relief from emotional distress. Self-injury is used to relieve negative emotions such as anxiety, guilt, loneliness, alienation, or self hatred; to relieve unpleasant thoughts or feelings; release anger, tension or emotional pain; to provide a sense of security or control; to punish self; to set boundaries with others; to end depersonalization /derealization, flashbacks or racing thoughts. It can serve multiple functions at the same time. It can also communicate distress or the desire for help. However, self-injurious behavior is hard to understand because it goes again the human nature to avoid painful stimulus and seek pleasurable stimulus. Both self-injury and suicide are related to depression, though self-injurious behavior seems also to have a strong link to anger, where suicide does not. This does not mean that self-injury is simply an angry manipulation of others, but more of a way of coping with emotional pain when other more adaptive ways of coping are not present.
The evidence seen thus far supports the idea that habituation and practice may help with increasing the course towards suicide. As emotions become more difficult to manage suicide becomes more of an option. Those who self-injure have 50 to 100 times greater risk of suicide than the general population. Reports have shown that those who self-injure have a higher risk for suicide. Self -injury can be seen as a precursor to helplessness, associated with high- intent- to- die suicidal behavior. 30 to 50% of patients having prior occurrence of self-injury will commit suicide. Predictors of suicide that also occur in those involved in self-injurious behavior or related to self- injury include mental disorders , depression, prior self-injury, stress, physical illness, alcohol and drug use, marital & family problems , hopelessness , problems with affective control, like anger and impulsivity, ambivalence and suicidal ideation.
It appears that self-injurious behavior and suicide may be positively correlated. Research has shown that those of this age group are most at risk for self-injury and suicide. Rates of self-injury among college students may range from 14 – 38% indicated that in a given year, approximately 33,600-1,440,000 self -harm. Suicide is the second leading cause of death of those between ages of fifteen and twenty-four. Suicide is also the second leading cause of death among college students in the U.S. Roughly 1,100 College students each year die from suicide. Studies have indicated that college students may be more at risk than those not attending college. One web-based survey of 2,875 undergraduate and graduate students at two northeastern U.S. universities indicated that one-quarter of the students reported suicidality, self-injurious behavior, or both. Of these, 28% of students who practiced self-injurious behavior also experienced suicidal thinking or behavior. Students reporting self-injurious behavior and suicidal thinking or behavior were 2.8 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation, 5.6 times more likely to have a plan, 7.3 times more likely to have made a gesture (such as writing a suicide note), and 9.6 times more likely to have made a suicide attempt. Another study indicated that 43% of college students who participated in the survey had experienced recent suicidal ideation in the and 6% of them had made a suicide attempt. However college health services have trouble distinguishing at risk students.
This does raise the question, “Does the general population take self-injury and suicidal ideation seriously? I believe they may not be to the extent that is needed. This may be due to the effects within the media as self-injury has been worked into pop culture such as films Thirteen and Manic and through various music, newspapers, television shows, and books, such as Cut by Patricia McCormick. This may play an important role in the views of suicide. The internet may also play a significant role in suicide by romanticizing and providing information on suicide. One study reported 1,740,000 hits on a search site of “suicide methods” on its date of publication Many sites provide ways of completing suicide effectively and products to do so which may increase the percentage of completed and attempted suicide by providing access to those who have the same suicidal ideation and encouraging self-harm .Internet sites can be grouped into four types, presentation of helpful construction information to increase the understanding of suicidal ideation, advising for those seeking help with suicidal ideation, chat rooms and boards to allow members to converse with each other, this can be negative and encouraging toward self-harm, or positive a positive supportive environment, and lastly, instructional sites that instruct how suicide can be completed. However internet sites can provide inaccurate, or misleading information.
Also certain subcultures, such as Goth have been associated with self-injurious behavior and suicide, which leads some to associate self-injury with attention-seeking behavior. Due to the recent emergence of subcultures such as Goth and Emo.
When looking at trends within recorded statistics on psychology related data, such as rates of suicide and self-injury,one must consider the role that the social environment plays. This can lead to actions that can lead to a decreased occurrence of these life changing events. If a higher suicide rate is recorded perhaps this is related to the public’s (and maybe some of those working in the field as well) opinion on the motive for self-injurious behavior. The public could choose to view self-injury in the following ways: they believe that the self-injurious behavior is 1. An attempt to get attention 2. An effort to influence how people perceive the person engaging in self-injurious behavior or 3. An effort to fit in with a certain trend. If the behavior is seen as a cry for attention rather than a cry for help and the possibility that the person may be a legitimate danger to themselves, this may lead to a lack to needed treatment resulting in more completed suicides.
When looking at trends within recorded statistics on psychology related data, such as rates of suicide and self-injury one must consider the role that the social environment plays. This can lead to actions that can lead to a decreased occurrence of these life changing events. If a higher suicide rate is recorded perhaps this is related to the public’s (and maybe some of those working in the field as well) opinion on the motive for self-injurious behavior. If the behavior is seen as a cry for attention rather than a cry for help and the possibility that the person may be a legitimate danger to themselves, this may lead to a lack to needed treatment resulting in more completed suicides.
The most common precipitants of serious suicide attempts where individuals made serious suicide attempts, they had elevated rates of life events which were associated principally with interpersonal difficulties, work issues, financial difficulties, and legal problems. Attempts among young people are much the same and include a series of life events associated principally with interpersonal conflicts, relationship difficulties, and legal problems.Adolescents who indicated harming themselves reported significantly increased anti-social behavior, emotional distress, anger problems, health risk behaviors and decreased self-esteem and that self-injury used for the coping or affect regulation model of self-harm. Findings suggest that self-harm is associated with maladjustment, suicide, and other health behaviors indicative of risk for negative developmental trajectories.
If the public believes that self-injury is not a serious psychological risk for suicide and may lead them to associate simply attention seeking behavior. This belief can have serious repercussions for those at risk. If self-injurious behavior is not seen as an indicator that the person demonstrating this behavior is not a legitimate danger to themselves, this may lead to lack of treatment resulting in more completed suicides.
The public must become more aware and educated concerning these topics and how they might help someone who may be at risk for suicide. This may also provide information on how those at risk themselves can receive the needed psychological treatment.
Let us educate the public to increase the chances of further generations who are more quipped with healthy coping skills to deal with life’s problems. Each of us must take the initiative to educate ourselves and act according to the information that we receive to make the world around us a better place for those around us in whatever way we can.
Please spend some of this day educating yourself and others about the seriousness of self-injury, depression and suicide.
YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE!
Write love on your arm today to show your support and be given the opportunity to educate others.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=78301910&v=info#!/event.php?eid=279693068238&index=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Write_Love_on_Her_Arms
I have taken part of a research paper I have written to provide information I have gleaned from researching self-injury and suicide. Please take the time to educate yourself on this mental health issue that plagues so many. You could make a difference.
This essay will answer the follow questions-
1. Why do people self-injure/ cut?
2. How many people suffer from self-injury and suicide?
3. Why is it important that we take this mental health issue seriously?
4. What are the warning signs of depression, self-injury and suicide?
You will find these answers in BOLD.
Definition of Goth and Emo, More information on my proposed study as well as citations are available upon request.
Also, Please remember that this is years and years of work on my behalf and my own composition. Please share this information with others, but give credit where credit is due. Thank you!
“To Write Love On Her Arms” Day
November 12 - 13, 2010
The study of self injury and suicide is highly complex. One reason this is true is because there is no consensus on what constitutes self-injury. Though there isn’t a universally accepted term or criteria for this behavior. In North America attempted suicide is defined as one episode where there is at least some suicidal intent, especially when the behavior is repeated. In the UK deliberate self harm is used for all incidents that are survived, with or without suicidal intent, although the use of “deliberate” is now falling out of favor. In the US, deliberate self harm is used for all harm done to the body; usually this is repetitive with suicidal ideation, and used for less lethal methods. Deliberate and voluntary physical self-injury can include any form of injurious behavior regardless of intent. The behaviors include, but are not limited to cutting, overdosing, attempted hanging, self-strangulation, burning, and running into traffic. Parasuicide is defined as all survived episodes regardless of the intention. Other definitions of parasuicide include acts without a fatal outcome but would have resulted in serious harm without intervention. Self-mutilation, also known as self-injurious behavior or self-wounding, is serious bodily harm without suicidal intent. This includes repetitive, superficial injury. According to studies self-mutilation is defined as the direct and deliberate harm to self without suicidal intent, including non-suicidal self- injury. Self-injury, self-harm by methods that are not seen as socially acceptable, including self-poisoning and deliberate superficial, regardless of suicidal intent, ambivalence towards death may be noted. Believing that the person has no ideation of dying can lead a clinician to think there is no need for further treatment. This can remove the possibility for change. However it should not be assumed that those who self-harm will never suffer from suicidal ideation. Forms of self-injury include nine categories that may be co-occurring: 1. Cutting 2. Biting 3. Abrading 4. Severing 5. Inserting. 6. Burning 7. Ingesting or Inhaling 8. Hitting and 9. Constricting. Cutting type behaviors have been shown to be more common at 43 - 64.4%.
Evidence suggests that the primary motive for self-injurious behavior is to provide relief from emotional distress. Self-injury is used to relieve negative emotions such as anxiety, guilt, loneliness, alienation, or self hatred; to relieve unpleasant thoughts or feelings; release anger, tension or emotional pain; to provide a sense of security or control; to punish self; to set boundaries with others; to end depersonalization /derealization, flashbacks or racing thoughts. It can serve multiple functions at the same time. It can also communicate distress or the desire for help. However, self-injurious behavior is hard to understand because it goes again the human nature to avoid painful stimulus and seek pleasurable stimulus. Both self-injury and suicide are related to depression, though self-injurious behavior seems also to have a strong link to anger, where suicide does not. This does not mean that self-injury is simply an angry manipulation of others, but more of a way of coping with emotional pain when other more adaptive ways of coping are not present.
The evidence seen thus far supports the idea that habituation and practice may help with increasing the course towards suicide. As emotions become more difficult to manage suicide becomes more of an option. Those who self-injure have 50 to 100 times greater risk of suicide than the general population. Reports have shown that those who self-injure have a higher risk for suicide. Self -injury can be seen as a precursor to helplessness, associated with high- intent- to- die suicidal behavior. 30 to 50% of patients having prior occurrence of self-injury will commit suicide. Predictors of suicide that also occur in those involved in self-injurious behavior or related to self- injury include mental disorders , depression, prior self-injury, stress, physical illness, alcohol and drug use, marital & family problems , hopelessness , problems with affective control, like anger and impulsivity, ambivalence and suicidal ideation.
It appears that self-injurious behavior and suicide may be positively correlated. Research has shown that those of this age group are most at risk for self-injury and suicide. Rates of self-injury among college students may range from 14 – 38% indicated that in a given year, approximately 33,600-1,440,000 self -harm. Suicide is the second leading cause of death of those between ages of fifteen and twenty-four. Suicide is also the second leading cause of death among college students in the U.S. Roughly 1,100 College students each year die from suicide. Studies have indicated that college students may be more at risk than those not attending college. One web-based survey of 2,875 undergraduate and graduate students at two northeastern U.S. universities indicated that one-quarter of the students reported suicidality, self-injurious behavior, or both. Of these, 28% of students who practiced self-injurious behavior also experienced suicidal thinking or behavior. Students reporting self-injurious behavior and suicidal thinking or behavior were 2.8 times more likely to experience suicidal ideation, 5.6 times more likely to have a plan, 7.3 times more likely to have made a gesture (such as writing a suicide note), and 9.6 times more likely to have made a suicide attempt. Another study indicated that 43% of college students who participated in the survey had experienced recent suicidal ideation in the and 6% of them had made a suicide attempt. However college health services have trouble distinguishing at risk students.
This does raise the question, “Does the general population take self-injury and suicidal ideation seriously? I believe they may not be to the extent that is needed. This may be due to the effects within the media as self-injury has been worked into pop culture such as films Thirteen and Manic and through various music, newspapers, television shows, and books, such as Cut by Patricia McCormick. This may play an important role in the views of suicide. The internet may also play a significant role in suicide by romanticizing and providing information on suicide. One study reported 1,740,000 hits on a search site of “suicide methods” on its date of publication Many sites provide ways of completing suicide effectively and products to do so which may increase the percentage of completed and attempted suicide by providing access to those who have the same suicidal ideation and encouraging self-harm .Internet sites can be grouped into four types, presentation of helpful construction information to increase the understanding of suicidal ideation, advising for those seeking help with suicidal ideation, chat rooms and boards to allow members to converse with each other, this can be negative and encouraging toward self-harm, or positive a positive supportive environment, and lastly, instructional sites that instruct how suicide can be completed. However internet sites can provide inaccurate, or misleading information.
Also certain subcultures, such as Goth have been associated with self-injurious behavior and suicide, which leads some to associate self-injury with attention-seeking behavior. Due to the recent emergence of subcultures such as Goth and Emo.
When looking at trends within recorded statistics on psychology related data, such as rates of suicide and self-injury,one must consider the role that the social environment plays. This can lead to actions that can lead to a decreased occurrence of these life changing events. If a higher suicide rate is recorded perhaps this is related to the public’s (and maybe some of those working in the field as well) opinion on the motive for self-injurious behavior. The public could choose to view self-injury in the following ways: they believe that the self-injurious behavior is 1. An attempt to get attention 2. An effort to influence how people perceive the person engaging in self-injurious behavior or 3. An effort to fit in with a certain trend. If the behavior is seen as a cry for attention rather than a cry for help and the possibility that the person may be a legitimate danger to themselves, this may lead to a lack to needed treatment resulting in more completed suicides.
When looking at trends within recorded statistics on psychology related data, such as rates of suicide and self-injury one must consider the role that the social environment plays. This can lead to actions that can lead to a decreased occurrence of these life changing events. If a higher suicide rate is recorded perhaps this is related to the public’s (and maybe some of those working in the field as well) opinion on the motive for self-injurious behavior. If the behavior is seen as a cry for attention rather than a cry for help and the possibility that the person may be a legitimate danger to themselves, this may lead to a lack to needed treatment resulting in more completed suicides.
The most common precipitants of serious suicide attempts where individuals made serious suicide attempts, they had elevated rates of life events which were associated principally with interpersonal difficulties, work issues, financial difficulties, and legal problems. Attempts among young people are much the same and include a series of life events associated principally with interpersonal conflicts, relationship difficulties, and legal problems.Adolescents who indicated harming themselves reported significantly increased anti-social behavior, emotional distress, anger problems, health risk behaviors and decreased self-esteem and that self-injury used for the coping or affect regulation model of self-harm. Findings suggest that self-harm is associated with maladjustment, suicide, and other health behaviors indicative of risk for negative developmental trajectories.
If the public believes that self-injury is not a serious psychological risk for suicide and may lead them to associate simply attention seeking behavior. This belief can have serious repercussions for those at risk. If self-injurious behavior is not seen as an indicator that the person demonstrating this behavior is not a legitimate danger to themselves, this may lead to lack of treatment resulting in more completed suicides.
The public must become more aware and educated concerning these topics and how they might help someone who may be at risk for suicide. This may also provide information on how those at risk themselves can receive the needed psychological treatment.
Let us educate the public to increase the chances of further generations who are more quipped with healthy coping skills to deal with life’s problems. Each of us must take the initiative to educate ourselves and act according to the information that we receive to make the world around us a better place for those around us in whatever way we can.
Please spend some of this day educating yourself and others about the seriousness of self-injury, depression and suicide.
YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE!
Write love on your arm today to show your support and be given the opportunity to educate others.
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