The 10 types of self-injury and associated disorders

These are the different varieties of self-injury in people with psychological disorders.

Self-injuries are behaviors in which the person harms him/herself, either by cuts, burns or blows. The first self-injurious behaviors usually appear during adolescence, with young adults also presenting them.

In the following we will review what they are, as well as the types of self-injury that exist. the types of self-injury that existThe following is a review of what they are, as well as the types of self-injury that exist, what personality characteristics do the people who carry them out present and what disorders and traumatic events can influence in their appearance.

What are self-injuries?

Self-injury is any behavior, intentional and self-directed, that involves some form of harm, immediate destruction of body tissues and the formation of wounds..

It can manifest itself in the form of different types of injuries, such as cuts, skin marks, burns, mutilations or blows, associated with a wide variety of psychological problems and mental disorders. This type of behavior does not include overeating drugs or poisoning with autolytic intent.

Self-injury is not intended as a suicide attempt, although this does not mean that the person who commits it has not considered taking his or her own life on other occasions. They are harmful and maladaptive ways of coping with emotional pain, anger and frustration. It is a way of feeling in control of the situation, hurting oneself and feeling a momentary calm and release of tension.. However, after self-injury, guilt and shame follow, and the painful emotions return.

Types of self-injury

Self-injury can be classified into two main types. The first has to do with the action itself, i.e., what type of injury it causes. The second has more to do with the severity and frequency of the self-injurious behavior itself.

According to the type of injury

The types of self-injury according to the type of wound they cause are as follows.

1. Cuts

Cuts can be made with all types of sharp objects, such as knives, cutters, threads, needles, razor blades or even fingernails.. It involves deep cuts or scratches on various parts of the body, such as arms, legs and the front of the torso, which are the most common places for self-injury, since they are easily concealed by long-sleeved clothing.

Cutting can become a habit, in the form of compulsive behavior. The more times the person has cut himself, the more he will have the need to do it. when a stressful stimulus or situation that causes you anxiety appears.

The brain begins to switch on the false sense of calm as a good strategy to cope with negative emotions.

2. Scratching and burning

The person may compulsively scratch until Blood oozes out, or rub objects such as fabric, cloth, paper or other objects that cause anxiety.The person may rub objects such as cloth, adhesive tape or other materials to produce a friction burn. You may also burn yourself with fire, using matches, lit cigarettes or hot knives, or by throwing heat on yourself.

3. Etching words or piercing the skin

Engraving words or symbols into the skin is done with cutters or sharp objects and, like cutting, can be done with a knife, as with cutting, it is usually done on parts that are easy to hide, such as arms and legs..

This category could include getting a lot of piercings and tattoos, since it could be an indicator of suffering a lot of emotional pain and wanting to cope with the pain produced by the tattoo needle.

4. Hitting, punching or banging your head

They may hit themselves in the chest, in the stomach, behind the head or even slamming themselves against a wall or door.

5. Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is an impulse to pull out hair, either from the scalp, eyebrows, mustache, beard, nose or other parts of the head.beard, beard, nose or other parts of the body. It can go from a habit to an addiction, being a behavior present in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Pulling out the hair means that bald spots are formed, since the hair does not have time to grow or even alopecia has accelerated. This causes people with this behavior to wear hats, caps or wigs.

6. Dermatillomania

Dermatillomania is the self-injurious behavior of reopening wounds, tearing off scabs or new skin, removing stitches or band-aids.removing stitches or band-aids.

Depending on the severity of the wound

Depending on the severity and concealability of the self-injurious behaviors, we have the following types of injuries.

1. Stereotyped self-injurious behaviors

Acts that are performed anywhere, ranging from mild to severe injuries.

2. Major self-injurious behaviors

Involve some type of amputation. They are associated with severe and psychotic psychopathology..

3. Compulsive self-injurious behaviors

Repetitive, ritualistic behaviors that occur multiple times a day, such as nail biting (oncophagia), pulling and eating hair (trichotillomania) or hitting the back of the head.

4. Impulsive self-injurious behaviors

There is a preoccupation with self-harm. This is an impulse that is difficult to resist, which anxiety-producing, with a feeling of relief afterwards and without suicidal intent..

What are the characteristics of people who self-injure?

There are a series of common personality traits in people who self-injure, although it should also be taken into account that having lived through a traumatic situation and going through a stressful one are factors that influence the appearance of these behaviors.

It is not at all uncommon to observe that people who engage in this type of behaviors present clear deficits in emotional skills. That is, they have problems with awareness and expression of their emotions, and not knowing how to cope with them or why they feel this way, they resort to self-injurious behaviors.

A rather striking trait is self-criticism, insecurity and perfectionism. These are people who tend to be very strict with themselves, who demonstrate their dissatisfaction with how they are or what they have not achieved with explosions of rage and self-directed aversion. Self-injury is a kind of self-punishment, and it is not difficult to find that in the background there is a clear problem of low self-esteem, as well as negative emotionality..

Why do they self-injure?

Cutting, burning, or assaulting oneself in any way is a form of emotional pain control, albeit inefficient. The person may be going through a very stressful situation, and does not know how to cope with it in an adaptive way, basically because he/she does not know how to identify the origin of what is causing the psychological damage.

When they self-injure, when they hurt themselves, the pain becomes specific and localized, they know where it is. He transforms something psychic into physical, directing his attention to the recent wound on his skin, the bruise that he has to the bruise that has been caused or to the burn that has occurred.

Psychological problems and disorders

Self-injury need not last a lifetime. Sometimes they occur at times, when the person is going through a tense situation. However, there are mental disorders in which this type of behavior is a symptom. They also appear even when the person is being the victim of an aggression, as in school bullying.as is the case in school bullying or partner abuse.

• The main psychiatric disorders in which they can appear are:
• Borderline personality disorder.
• Major depression.
• Anxiety disorders, such as PTSD.
• Bipolar disorder.
• Eating disorders.
• ADHD
• Alcohol abuse
• Drug dependencies

In addition to having been a victim of:

• Sexual and physical abuse.
• Bullying and cyberbullying.
• Dysfunctional family.