Self-Harm: Borderline Personality Disor

Self-Harm 1

Self-Harm: The Reality

Jennifer Winston

Psychology

Professor Kerlin

Self-Harm 2

Abstract

Self-Harm includes many different behaviors in which an individual hurts themselves intentionally. There is no specific demographic of people that tend to self-injure more than others. There are many different reasons that a person chooses to self-injure. These reasons include poor self-image issues, unable to cope and express emotions, control issues, and even suicide. Self-Harm is a common problem among people who have Borderline Personality Disorder. Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness in which an individual struggles dealing with powerful emotions, self-destructive behavior, inaccurate self-image, and unhealthy

Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental disorder in which individuals struggle with intense emotions, reckless behavior, unhealthy relationships, and unrealistic self-image issues. In diagnosing someone with Borderline Personality Disorder, one would look to identify self-damaging impulsive behaviors such as substance abuse, stealing, spending, excessive gambling, reckless driving, binging and purging, as well as “recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilation.” (Sutton, 2005, p. 350) Not all people that have Borderline Personality Disorder self-mutilate, and not all people that self-mutilate have Borderline Personality Disorder. People dealing with the powerful emotions, associated with those with Borderline Personality Disorder, are flooded with intense feelings and have no coping methods to release them. In addition to that, people with Borderline Personality Disorder often times get themselves into unhealthy relationships. Unhealthy relationships can lead to an unhealthy living environment. As discussed in section two, an unhealthy living environment can lead to an individual injuring themselves in order to feel as though they have some control over things in their