Reducing Self-harm Behaviors: Resources and Help
Self-harm is quite a complex issue than a lot of people might think. It can impact people from all walks of life and can significantly influence their daily activities. According to research, 20 percent of the people who engage in self-harm behaviors struggle with personality disorders as well.
The study further shows that 13.5 percent of people with self-harm tendencies have adjustment disorders. Growing awareness about self-harm behaviors has led to an increase in the need for resources to help people struggling with this issue. Let’s look at a few resources that can help you reduce the risk of self-harm behaviors.
What is Self-Harm?
Self-harm refers to any action meant to cause self-injury without serious or life-threatening harm. Most people use it as a coping mechanism to deal with emotional trauma or a way to regain control. Self-harm can take many forms, such as cutting, burning, hitting, or even misusing illicit substances.
Though self-harm is often a symptom of other disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, it is also a condition on its own. Nonsuicidal self-injury disorder is characterized by a pattern of injuring yourself intentionally and without suicidal intent. When you struggle with NSSI disorder, you may need to seek treatment and be under constant supervision at a facility like URP Behavioral Health to avoid engaging in self-harm behaviors.
Identifying Symptoms of Self-harm
When trying to determine if a loved one engages in self-harm behavior, you need to look for symptoms. There are a few signs that you need to watch out for, such as:
- Wear unusual clothing like long-sleeved shirts during the summer to avoid showing self-inflicted injuries
- Social withdrawal and isolation from friends and family members
- Weight gain or loss as a result of changed eating habits
- Bald patches or hair thinning indicating hair-pulling
- Unexplained injuries like burns and cuts
- Excessive exercising to the point of exhaustion
- Frequently reporting that they were accidentally injured
These are just a few signs that show the person is inflicting self-harm. Of course, it’s important to consider that the other person may be self-harming in other ways, like starving themselves or misusing substances. So, the signs aren’t always as visible as you’d expect them to be.
Seeking Help and Therapeutic Approaches to Reduce Self-harm Behaviors
Seeking help in order to reduce self-harm behavior is imperative. The behavior is a symptom of underlying emotional distress that they’re going through.
Friends and Family
When you’re struggling with self-harm and other mental health concerns, it’s not easy to seek professional help. If seeking professional help on your own feels difficult, start by reaching out to friends and family. Confiding in someone you trust can help you practice talking about your feelings. Encouragement and support from your loved ones can also increase your chances of seeing a professional.
Support Groups
The purpose of the support groups is to provide an opportunity to talk about your experiences and realize that you’re not alone. It allows people who are going through the same condition to come together and share their experiences. Therefore, joining a self-harm support group can also help patients get a sense of belonging and understanding. It can be a therapeutic experience to learn about the people who face similar challenges and how they deal with them.
Therapists
Opening up with friends and families is a good start, but a professional therapist can recommend suitable strategies to improve your well-being. So, it is best to get in touch with a healthcare professional that specializes in helping individuals to deal with self-harm.
Therapists provide you with a safe environment where you can discuss your situation without fear of judgment. It allows you to discuss your emotions and discuss healthier coping mechanisms.
Therapeutic approaches can also be an effective option to go for in reducing self-harm behaviors. Some of the common approaches that medical professionals might recommend include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – CBT would help the individual find and stop the pattern of negative thoughts while developing healthier coping strategies simultaneously.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – DBT focuses more on addressing patients who have borderline personality disorder and self-harm. The primary goal of this approach is to prioritize distress tolerance and emotional regulation.
- Mindfulness and Meditation – The therapeutic approaches that would foster mindfulness and meditation can help individuals in dealing with overwhelming feelings. As a result, it will reduce the urge to self-harm.
The therapeutic approaches mentioned above can be tailored depending on the individuals’ preferences and requirements. This way, it would become more effective in reducing self-harm behaviors.
Inpatient Treatment Program
When you develop a pattern of self-harm behaviors whenever you experience overwhelming emotions, it can interfere with your ability to function properly. To prevent yourself from self-harming, you can enroll in an inpatient treatment program.
It involves staying at a treatment center like URP Behavioral Health, which offers a safe environment conducive to recovery. When harm and dangerous objects are out of reach, and you’re far from exposure to emotionally hurtful stimuli, you’re less likely to feel the urge to self-harm.
At a residential treatment program, the focus is on overall well-being as opposed to a single factor. That’s why they combine evidence-based interventions like psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy with holistic measures. This means focusing on nutrition, recreation, and other domains as well.
Combating the Behaviors of Self-harm and Reducing Them
Reducing self-harm behaviors would require you to show compassion and understanding. In addition to that, it also requires access to the right resources and guides along with proper help to combat the urges to inflict self-harm. All in all, it is important to remember that there is hope and help available.
If you or anyone else is dealing with self-harm behaviors, then seek out help immediately. With efforts and collaboration, it is quite possible to reduce self-harming behaviors and improve your mental health.
