Troubled teenagers may very easily turn to destructive behavior such as self-harm in order to alleviate any emotional strain they may be experiencing within. Self-harm manifests itself in a number of forms. Cutting is but one of these forms, your teenager may also opt to bite, scratch, burn or hit himself as well. These are all signs to watch for in a teenage self-injurer.
He or she may even resort to pulling at one’s hair while banging his head against a hard surface. The intentional breaking of bones is also a frequently observed act of self-injury. Your teenager may even go so far as to ingest sharp objects in order to interfere with his own digestive system, while picking at healing wounds in order to make matters worse.
What could be driving your child to self-harm?
At first description, these kinds of self-injury may sound appalling to a concerned parent but you must take a moment to put things into perspective. What exactly could be driving your child to harm himself in any way? The answer to this question is the key to your child’s inner healing and a definite way to put a stop to his self-injury. It is important when confronted with a teenage self-injurer to approach him/her with distinct sensitivity.
You do not want to provoke any action that could lead to your child’s ultimate demise. The risk of suicide in those teenagers who engage in self-harm is greater than those who have not yet stepped past the brink of inflicting harm on the body.
Seeking Outside Help
If you yourself are feeling uncertain of approaching your troubled teenager, then do not hesitate to seek the help of an outside therapist or counselor when your child’s physical well-being is at stake. Certain kinds of medications (like MAOI’s) that treat the depression that may also emerge alongside with self-injury have proven to be affective in treatment. As much as you may want to panic when you see a slash on your child’s arm, don’t.
Sometimes, teenage self-injurers actually feed off of the attention they get (be it negative) from their self-harm. By panicking you may actually be indirectly leading them to injure themselves again in order to keep on getting the attention they received from the first set of injuries.
What you can do
What you can do is provide them with proper guidance. Keep a close eye on your teen, monitoring his activities outside of the house as well as what he does in it. As much as possible, make sure that you keep sharp objects out of his access. Even as a teen may be intent on discontinuing his self-harm, when a blade is right within arm’s reach it’s difficult to stop one’s self.
Ironically, self-injurers claim that harming one’s self lets a rush of temporary relief flow through one’s veins as the act is being committed. Your teenager may turn to cutting to as a way to cope with emotional issues. Help him find other avenues to deal with problems before it’s too late.
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