English 1020The Researched Argument, Part ThreeThe goal of the semester paper is to have you research and write an argument...

Angie Solis

Jeremy Sullivan

English 1020-25

October 20th, 2015

Tired of Living, and Scared of Dying

The expression self-harm can be defined as a variety of things that individuals do to themselves usually in a hidden and deliberate way (Klonsky, 2007) It includes swallowing harmful substances or objects, cutting, banging, burning or scribbling one’s body, derma till mania, trichotillomania and even breaking bones. Dermatillomania can be defined as the act of interfering with wound healing. Trichotillomania is defined as the act of hair-pulling. In some cases, when individuals self-harm, they intend that they feel to die at some level. Most of the people who commit suicide must have some history of self-harm. Though, the aim is more repeatedly to discipline themselves, express their suffering or release intolerable tension or even a collection of both. Self-harm may also be characterized by homelessness and quest for freedom.

Homelessness is living without a home due to loss of a parent, poor familial relations or general physical distress. Freedom in the context of self-harm is defined as the need to be a self-leader and living in the unrestricted environment (Klonsky, 2007). Self-harm is a common issue, and a lot of people are a strain to solve it. In life, one may feel or already felt the necessity do self-harm, or maybe they have friends, sister, son, daughter or brother who are victims of self-harming. This paper brings a clear understanding of self-harm, reasons for its occurrence, how to solve it victims may recover from the same (Klonsky, 2007). Self-harm is a matter that has been neglected and has not received the seriousness it deserve up to date. Some people treat it as taboo in the community. But this issue requires more seriousness more than people perceive.

By intentionally harming their bodies, people normally argue that they can influence the state of mind to handle better the ‘other’ trouble or pain they feel. People use fleshly pain as a method of diverting themselves from painful emotional feeling. For others, particularly those who are emotionally disfigured, it can be a method to ‘wake up’ in circumstances where they feel so numb that they do not have a sense of feeling. Self-harm is a technique of handling intense emotional pain (Kerr and Turner, 2010). The ignorance of self-harm is unaware of the huge effect on the daily life of an individual. They will always strive to hide what they do include the bruises and scars. However, the emotional secrecy and guilt is indeed very difficult to bear. Self-harm is serious to the extent that it can disturb everything including clothes they put on, the types of activities and sports they participate, sexual and physical relationships. Eventually, because people who do self-harm are aware of the humiliation that comes with it, it may distress their relationships with family and friends and even the inner sense of self-worth. People do self-harming in a bid to solve their feelings and problems. Unfortunately, it causes other serious problems that may be not be solved. Self-harm may set up an addictive array of behavior that can be too difficult to recover from.

A problem like self-harm is normally poorly perceived and understood. This notion needs to be stopped since it prevents the victims from coming out asking for help. Professionals, friends and family members usually react to individuals who self-harm in hostility. Some people argue that doing self-harm is about seeking attention. Most self-harm is essentially done in secretly, and it may be very difficult for people to be courageous enough to ask for help. Self-harm is occasionally viewed as a group activity (Klonsky, 2009). Nevertheless, it is rarely done in groups. It is very hard to know whether somebody is doing self-harming. One indicator could be that they claim to cover up their bodies in all-weather including when it is sunny. They may evade activities that include showing off themselves, such as games or swimming. Private behavior and the urge to stay alone often can also be an indicator of self-harm. Several typical symptoms of emotional distress, for instance, being withdrawn, looking washed away, being quiet and missing energy may also be indicators that a person is self-harming (Klonsky, 2009). According to (Kerr and Turner, 2010) Self-harming is a serious practice that requires attention acceptance and open-mindedness. The victims need some care and knowledge that someone is there for them there for them because the usually lose the sense of being loved.

The seriousness required include an offer to help in getting victims professional help from, therapist, counsellor or a psychiatric nurse. People should evade taking control because many individuals who do self-harming think it is a significant way of taking some control of their lives. There is need not to take it so personal if a daughter or son may not want to talk to you about the matter because of the closeness (Muehlenkamp, 2010). Self-harming do not require ultimatums; for instance, ‘stop or else…‘ because they rarely solve, and can as well send the behavior underground, and one may not be able to get any further opportunities to discuss the issue and solve it. Self-harm could also be highly addictive. If an individual feels the urge to practice it, they will always find a secret way. It is very significant that the choice to eliminate it is made by from the individual who is doing self-harming. It is not uncommon to feel hopeless, responsible, hurt, frightened, devastated, sad, shocked, powerless or angry.

People who do self-harming do not certainly limit themselves to one type of self-harm, but can decide to use others if they are not successful to self-harm normally because they feel that they are being monitored or observed or may quickly need the relief provided by self-harm.

Work cited

Klonsky, E. D. The functions of deliberate self-injury: A review of the evidence. Clinical Psychology, 2007

Muehlenkamp, J. J. Self-Injurious Behavior as a Separate Clinical Syndrome. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 2010.

Klonsky, E. D. Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: An Introduction. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2009.

Kerr, P. L, and Turner, J. M. Non suicidal Self-Injury: A Review of Current Research for Family Medicine and Primary Care Physicians, 2010.

Solis