Self-Harm and Suicide by Teens
ENG. 112 03
7 November 2013
Self- Harm and Suicide in Teens Do you know that one in twelve teenagers self-harm and ten out of a hundred thousand commit suicide? According to psychologists at Mayo Clinic self-harm is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. Typically not meant as a suicide attempt, self- harm is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration (mayo). Psychologists at Mayo Clinic define suicide as taking your own life, in a tragic reaction to stressful life situations (mayo). Throughout this paper I will refer to self-harm as SIV also known as self- inflicted violence. Suicide and SIV have become more known ways that teens cope with their feelings and the daily stresses they have. I believe that people should become more aware of teen suicide and SIV because of the way it affects the lives of teens every day. If there was more of an understanding of the causes of teen suicide and self-inflicted violence then these things would not occur as often. Self-harm, or SIV, is one of the many ways that teens cope with their feelings. There are many causes of SIV. Self-harm normally is the inability to cope with psychological pain related to problems of personal identity and difficulty “finding one’s place” in family and society (mayo). Teens who self-harm can have a chemical imbalance in their brains. There are two different neurotransmitters that are affected, they are the serotonin system and the opioid system. The serotonin system is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep, and aggression. It is said that teens with low levels of serotonin have problems with depression, emotional distress, and aggression. The second neurotransmitter is the opioid system which operates in areas of the brain connected with the feelings of pleasure, euphoria, and pain relief. According to psychologists Kim Gratz and Alexander Chapman, teens who self-harm have overly active opioid systems.
7 November 2013
Self- Harm and Suicide in Teens Do you know that one in twelve teenagers self-harm and ten out of a hundred thousand commit suicide? According to psychologists at Mayo Clinic self-harm is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. Typically not meant as a suicide attempt, self- harm is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration (mayo). Psychologists at Mayo Clinic define suicide as taking your own life, in a tragic reaction to stressful life situations (mayo). Throughout this paper I will refer to self-harm as SIV also known as self- inflicted violence. Suicide and SIV have become more known ways that teens cope with their feelings and the daily stresses they have. I believe that people should become more aware of teen suicide and SIV because of the way it affects the lives of teens every day. If there was more of an understanding of the causes of teen suicide and self-inflicted violence then these things would not occur as often. Self-harm, or SIV, is one of the many ways that teens cope with their feelings. There are many causes of SIV. Self-harm normally is the inability to cope with psychological pain related to problems of personal identity and difficulty “finding one’s place” in family and society (mayo). Teens who self-harm can have a chemical imbalance in their brains. There are two different neurotransmitters that are affected, they are the serotonin system and the opioid system. The serotonin system is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, sleep, and aggression. It is said that teens with low levels of serotonin have problems with depression, emotional distress, and aggression. The second neurotransmitter is the opioid system which operates in areas of the brain connected with the feelings of pleasure, euphoria, and pain relief. According to psychologists Kim Gratz and Alexander Chapman, teens who self-harm have overly active opioid systems.
Cited: Alderman, Tracy. The Scarred Soul. Oakland: New Harbinger, 1997. Print. Borderline Personality Disorder Gratz l, Kim, and Chapman L. Alexander. Freedom from self- harm. Oakland: New Harbinger, 2009. Print. Lickerman, Alex