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A person diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder could be
involved with harming themselves - often by cutting, burning,
punching, or head-banging (to name a few of the practices)
themselves. (also called "cutting").
Self-injury is a result of not
having
learned how to identify or express
difficult feelings in a healthy way. It also
can be an alternative to a suicide
attempt. This ties directly into one of the
characteristics of BPD. Discovering that your loved one is involved
in this practice can be very disturbing. It can be an
ritualized activity where the person uses sterile razor blades, or
just a sharp knife, with no concern for infection. Articles
are being researched and compiled that graphically describe the
psychology, the ritual, the reasoning, the relief, the and the
payoffs to the Borderline.
These links deviate away from
self-injury in Borderline behavior. These articles are about
self-injury: who does it, how they do it, why they do it.
Some of these links are not for those who get a bit squeamish from
the concept of hurting oneself. In the movie "Girl,
Interrupted", Winona Ryder said that she cut to try to get at the
monster inside her. Others have said that they cut to see that
they really are alive, because they feel dead. BPD's may cut
to let others know just how terrible they are feeling about
themselves, Live, their situation.
Click on this
link (article) to read about how
the BPD has a higher threshold of pain if they are currently
cutting, compared to those in the study who are in treatment and
haven't self-injured for a period of time.
Why Do Borderlines Self-Injure? (the
reasons are surprising!)
(9-27-09)
from Psych Central blog,
Charles H. Elliott, PhD.
You’re
probably wondering what the
motivation is for these various acts
of self harm that seemingly would
result in no gains for the person
who does them. The answer to your
question is that there is no single
motivation for self harm. Both
mental health professionals and
those with BPD have suggested a
variety of possible motivations
including:
-
To
distract from emotional pain:
You can’t underestimate the
unbearable nature of inner pain
experienced by those with BPD.
Although the pain from self
injurious acts rarely matches
the internal, emotional pain, it
does pull one’s attention away
from the overwhelming emotions
for a little while.
-
To
meet other needs:
In most cases, it’s not so much
a need for attention as it is a
need for basic nurturance and
support from others. In some
cases, it appears that people
engage in self harming acts in
order to obtain care and concern
when they lack the skills or
knowledge for obtaining those
needs in healthier ways.
-
To
punish themselves:
Sometimes people with BPD appear
to harm themselves out of a
profound feeling or belief that
they deserve punishment and
abuse. Sometimes this belief
appears to be related to the
fact that they were abused as
children and believed they
deserved the abuse. Thus, they
continue the pattern of abuse on
themselves, thereby reenacting
the abuse over and over again.
-
To
get back at someone:
Many people with BPD have
trouble expressing anger in
healthy ways. Thus, they will
hurt themselves to make other
people feel badly for something
they did or said.
-
To
feel better:
When the body is injured, the
brain releases a type of pain
killer known as endorphins.
Endorphins are similar to
morphine and reduce pain and
distress. Thus paradoxically,
one may engage in self harm in
order to regulate emotions and
feel better. If that motivation
sounds bizarre, consider the
fact that many of us in New
Mexico report loving to consume
hot to really hot chili
peppers in abundance. Why? It
seems chili peppers causes a
release of endorphins.
-
To
feel almost anything other than
numbness and emptiness:
Many of those with BPD say that
they have a constant feeling of
“unrealness.” They say they feel
out of it and/or dissociate.
Pain feels “real” and allows
them to connect to the world for
a while.
Video: Very Emotional
EMO:
Video of Cutting in a Middle School
A
facility for recovery from SIB
Cutting & Hurting Yourself: Your Emotions
HelpGuide
and Self-Injury
"Why
Do I Keep Cutting Myself?"
Why Teens Cut
You are
not alone
Teen Health, Cutting, Shame
Self-Injury and
Suicide
An attempt at
feeling better
Further research has revealed that the Self-Harm, Intervention,
Education, Learning and Development (SHIELD) program also
facilitates training for community professionals and provides
education regarding self-harm behaviors in the community.
The
SHIELD program is based on the idea that early intervention is
critical to prevent lifelong emotional and physical scarring that
can result from self-injurious behaviors. Without early
identification and intervention, adolescents can develop an
addictive dependence on self-injury as a coping method.
The
biggest question for those in a relationship with a self-injurious
adolescent is, "Why?" Many myths associated with self-injurious
behaviors try to answer this question. One of the most common myths
is that adolescents self-harm for attention. Some assume self-injury
is perhaps a failed suicide attempt. Others believe self-injurious
behavior cannot be treated and is not a serious problem as the
wounds are "not that bad." While self-injury is not necessarily
suicidal, if left untreated it may lead to suicidal behaviors.
Because self-injurious adolescents share a proclivity for intense
behaviors with traits inherent to borderline personality disorder
(BPD), they often have not been taken seriously and get labeled as
"manipulators."
Marsha
Linehan, PhD, a pioneer in BPD, proposes a less judgmental
understanding of the adolescent who cuts. Teens who show these
emotional differences are often told their emotions are "wrong."
Linehan calls these types of comments "invalidating statements."
Problems begin when individuals believe these statements and stop
trusting themselves.
In the SHIELD program, intervention is
based on dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), which uses specific
skill-building training to directly target the maladaptive emotional
and behavioral responses that trigger the choice to self-injure.
Linehan developed DBT in 1993 specifically for the treatment of
people with BPD and non-suicidal intentional self-injury.
The Deepest Cut
A shot to kill the pain.
A pill to drain the shame.
A purge to stop the gain.
A cut
to break the vein.
A drink to win the game.
by Unknown
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You are here among
friends!
From one who has fallen into the hypnotizing quality
of cutting myself, I welcome you to read what others have shared
about this mysterious behavior. I no longer cut, but I am one
razor-blade away from this self injurious behavior. I don't
cut
One Day At A Time. |
