The Despairing Act of Self Harm

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Have you ever, coincidentally, walked passed somebody with deep, open cuts on his/her wrist and wondered what happened? Maybe, you thought it was a simple, harmless scratch caused by obnoxious pets at home. Or maybe, you considered it as mild accidents, preferably caused by doing arts and crafts at home or school. But, have you ever pondered thoroughly and have the idea that those sad scarring were actually made by him/herself? Creating scars on your skin is actually the action of self-harm; the intentional hurting of one’s self, direct to the body tissue, with or without the intention of suicide. There are several types of self-harm, such as hair pulling, banging body parts, scratching, burning, ingestion of toxin, and the most frequent one, self-cutting. Apparently, self-harm has been a serious, heart-rending issue, popular among teenagers nowadays.

Causes of self-harm are categorized into three groups: social, emotional, and psychological factors. Social factors are the influence of people around us. Research states that this is the most common cause of self-harm. Why? That is because teenage is the period where all hunts for attention and acceptance from society. When we fail to receive those two, we begin to feel rejected and peer-pressured. Social factors includes difficult relationships at school or home, being bullied, the death of someone close, and alcohol or drug abuse. The second familiar reason is emotions, which are based on a distress from unhappy or traumatic experience and can allow someone to feel numb or empty, anger, guilt, anxiety, and unworthy. This tense distress can gradually build up and is likely to lead into self-hatred or low self-esteem. There are some, occasional cases where one’s psychology becomes...

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...ally dangerous act, moreover with the distressing effects afterward. It is now widespread among teenagers, and it should be treated with serious care. In conclusion, remind every self-harmers you catch sight of that God is always with them and is willing to guide them whenever they allow Him to.

Works Cited:

A, Harry. "A Biblical View." Sun Shield.Sun Shield, 2012. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

Christianity, Au. "What Does the Bible Teach about Self Harm? | Questions & Answers." What Does the Bible Teach. Christianity.au, 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

LakeView. "Self-Injury Causes, Signs & Symptoms." Self-Injury Symptoms, Side Effects & Signs. LakeViewBehavioural, 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.

SuicideSolutions.org. “Best Solutions To Self-Harm.” Solutions to Self-Harm. SuicideSolutions.org, 30 May 2012. Web

NHS Choices. "Self-Harm - Causes." NHS Choices, 29 July 2013. Web.

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