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There are a number of ways in which the medical profession responds to self-injury, and attempts to help those who suffer from this. It is debateable how successful these are.
As many self-injurers suffer from mental illnesses such as depression, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress syndrome and others, treatment for self-injury is directed at these mental conditions rather than SI itself. This is how I was treated. For me, self-injury was a way of dealing with being bipolar and my psychiatrist was reluctant to make too much of the SI lest it change from being a reaction to being bipolar and become a regular feature of my life. As a result, I was given medication to control my moods, and instructed not to worry about the SI. I realised later what the danger was. Had I made self-injuring a part of my identity, I would have found it almost impossible to stop. When self-injury becomes part of who you are and not just something you do to deal with events, then how can you stop, as that would mean losing a part of yourself? I have not self-injured in a half-year and while I sometimes want to, I do realise that in me it is because I am growing depressed. That realisation helps me put off the desire to self-harm and seek other methods to alleviate the real cause. This does not, however, work for everyone as reasons for self-injury vary widely. There are a range of other methods used.
Counselling is common, to attempt to discover the reasons behind a person's self-injury and treat them. Some counsellors impose agreements not to self-injure upon clients, which may or may not be helpful. On the one hand they may shore up someone's willpower and give them a needed push not to harm at moments when they feel the need; however, if they fail and do SI, then they may be sucked into a cycle of despair through having broken promises and disappointed others. In addition too many failures may result in the withdrawal of therapy (as in the S.A.F.E. programme) as may the refusal to sign such agreements in the first place.
Therapies used include:
Other methods of treatment which may or may not be recommended by medical professionals are in the realm of self-help.
Many people find being part of a group of people with similar problems helpful. There are real-world support groups recognised by medical personnel (I was recommended one by a psychiatric nurse I saw) which take place under the aegis of a trained counsellor; groups that consist of current and former self-injurers and internet support groups. I have only participated in the latter.
Internet message board groups can be both helpful and unhelpful. It is good to have a place to vent feelings, to talk about wanting to self-injurer in a supportive environment where almost everyone has experienced the same things and understands. No one will be frightened or disgusted by someone talking about wanting to hurt themselves and will share things that have helped them, and which in turn may help others. However, a constant stream of people wanting help, hurting and wanting to SI may lower the mood and encourage SI as well as (accidentally) promoting competition, much as looking at pictures of SI can. If you are able to place yourself in the "former self-injurer" category then such groups may cease to be useful and simply seem to be repeating the same desires over and over, many people stuck at a stage where you once were but are no longer> The usual safety provisos apply even more in such groups of hurting people - there are those who seek to hurt others online, to offer dubious services and to disseminate misinformation. However, the moderators and sysops of such groups take great pains to avoid this.
Other self-help techniques include:
There are many ways in which people may be helped; the difficulty lies in finding something that helps that particular person.
© Dubhóc MacEògainn, 2005.