by Shanna Riley

Created on: March 27, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Self Injury (or "SI"), also known as self-mutilation, is the act of harming one's self to cope with extreme emotions or other overwhelming feelings.

People injure themselves in many ways: cutting, which seems to be the most popular, burning, or beating/bruising. Some individuals have even been known to break their own limbs in their attempts to harm themselves. The method of injury is as unique as each person committing the act.

A common mistake people make when hearing about SI is that the person is wanting to committ suicide. Though suicidal thoughts may be present, rarely does a self-injurer truly want to kill themselves. In fact, injuring is sometimes a way to cause harm without going to the extreme of suicide.

Another misconception is that cutters are merely attention-seekers; in fact, most cutters and self-abusers cause harm on parts of their body not regularly seen or that are easy to hide. They usually take extreme measures to keep their wounds and scars hidden from others, usually with the help of excess clothing.

Self-injury itself is not a disease or medical disorder. It is actually a sign of other problems - a past history of abuse (usually sexual) or mental illness.

There are any number of reasons why people injure themselves - as varied and different as can be. Feelings of remorse or guilt, extreme anger or even heavy depression can trigger an injuring incident. A vast majority - though certainly not all - self-injurers have a past history of sexual abuse.

Different people have different and personal reasons for hurting themselves. Some believe that self-injurers do so only for attention, but that is a harmful misconception still held - even by some in the medical field - about self-injurers.

People who self-injure feel relief when they hurt themselves. I know personally that my cutting was a way to bring out a pain that was only felt inside. I couldn't cope with what I felt in my mind, but by bringing it out, seeing it and feeling it - that was something I could handle and control. That was real. Self injury is an expression of pain and inner turmoil - it is a way of coping, a soothing answer to out of control feelings. People hurt themselves to feel alive, to express pain on the outside, to calm themselves. Self-injury is also a form of control in a chaotic mindscape; people who often feel they have no control over their lives, their bodies, or their mental states feel a sense of control in causing self-harm to their own bodies.

You may be wondering, also, what causes a person to start self-injuring in the first place. Again, there are so many reasons. 50% of cutters were sexually abused as children. Some do so as an accident and, liking the relief it brings them, continue. Depression and low self-esteem are the main causes of beginning to cut.

What kind of people self-injure? There is no set standard, though the rate seems to be higher among young to middle-aged white females.

Many famous people have openly admitted self-injury, including Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Shirley Manson of Garbage, Fiona Apple, and even Princess Diana. No one is immune to self-injury.

I self-injure, the quiet girl in your class may self-injure, the boy next door may self-injure. People who hurt themselves are not "freaks", they are not "weird" or "crazy". They have a problem and self-harm is how they cope with their emotions; otherwise, they are people just like you.

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