Self-Injury (Self-Mutilation)
Episodic self-injurious behavior (SIB) is observed among normally developing children and teenagers. Chronic and severe SIB is more common among people with developmental or psychiatric disabilities or other special populations such as prisoners. SIB may be related to specific biological conditions or syndromes. SIB can be used for attention-seeking, self-stimulation, or for communication (to either get or avoid something). Effective intervention programs identify and remedy the cause, and teach replacement behaviors.

Issues: There are several theories as to why people indulge in self-mutilation. One is that it's a control issue. When children are abused, they are in a situation of no control. Their abuser(s) can hurt them any time, and the children are largely (if not completely) powerless to stop it. When the child grows older and is faced with stressful situations, there is often a strong desire/expectation for some sort of pain, since pain is associated with stress in that person's mind. People who have had these associations forced on them frequently cut themselves because this is a pain that satisfies the psychological desire for pain, and is *also* a pain that the victim can stop. At last the person is in control. And while the cutting itself is harmful and can cause shame and guilt later; I can tell you that the control feels good.

Another theory is that people who were abused as children often have been taught (by their abusers, or by others who have denied the child's experiences as being valid) that they are bad people, who should by all rights be punished. Sometimes people like this turn to behaviors like sado-masochism, or bondage-and-dominance in order to get the punishment that they want. Others can't ask others to punish them, so they punish themselves with cutting. A third theory is that cutting is a manifestation of a desire to become physically unattractive. This is often true of girls who are constantly bombarded with messages (overt and subtle) that they are beautiful and therefore desirable. They naturally reason that if they make themselves unattractive, no one will rape them because they will be undesirable. This chain of reasoning can also lead to compulsive eating behaviors that leave the abuse victim overweight and thus outside of what this society calls attractive. Of course, every person is different, and there are many less common theories as to why people are cutters. If a cutter doesn't fit any of the above models, that doesn't mean their situation is fundamentally different or less valid. Also, it is common for more than one of these thought patterns acting in concert to produce some very complicated rationales for self-mutilation. These desires can be quite strong, and often a cutter will not know why s/he indulges in such behavior.

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