Why do people harm themselves? The main signs and causes of autoaggression
**Why do people harm themselves? The main signs and causes of autoaggression**
Why do some people hide their inner suffering and suffer from their body or psyche? What is autoaggression and how can we determine in time that our loved ones need help? Tengri Health has studied this topic in depth.
**What is autoaggression: main signs and real-life examples**
Autoaggression is a form of behavior associated with a person consciously or unconsciously harming themselves. In this case, aggression is directed not at the external environment or other people, but at the person’s own body, psyche and emotional world. Although it is not classified as a separate mental illness, it is a condition that requires serious attention and help from specialists.
Nuriddin Abdullayev, a psychiatrist at the Mental Health Center in Almaty, says that he regularly encounters such patients in his practice. He notes that auto-aggression is not always obvious. However, it is worth being alerted when the following situations arise:
* frequent and unexplained injuries to the body;
* always wearing clothes that completely cover the body, regardless of the weather;
* a tendency to blame oneself in any situation;
* a desire for risk-taking and dangerous behavior;
* complete disregard for one's own health;
* use of psychoactive substances, such as alcohol, drugs, etc.;
* regularly repeating one's uselessness and unnecessaryness in life.
“A person may not realize that autoaggression is occurring in him for a long time, and such cases are very common in life. Many patients do not even think for years that their actions are aimed at self-destruction. They try to explain this by a character trait, a simple habit, or simply by the dictates of circumstances. The realization that certain actions are actually autoaggression often occurs only after psychotherapeutic conversations or a thorough psychiatric examination,” says the doctor.
According to the specialist, some people in society think of autoaggression only as intentional physical harm to body parts without suicidal intent. In fact, this is just one of the forms of the problem.
The doctor explains that a person can harm himself in various ways. For example:
* resorting to alcohol or drugs;
* refusing to see a doctor when necessary;
* constantly humiliating and hitting oneself;
* deliberately disrupting relationships with others;
* consciously or unconsciously putting oneself in danger and committing other actions that harm oneself.
“Autoaggression does not always mean a suicide attempt. Most people who engage in such behavior do not have a desire to kill themselves. The main goal of non-suicidal autoaggression is to reduce internal emotional tension, relieve mental pain, or restore a sense of control over their situation,” the doctor says.
At the same time, the expert emphasizes that in any case, such a situation should not be looked at from behind bars. The doctor says that the presence of autoaggression sharply increases the risk of committing real suicidal acts in the future. Therefore, it should always be taken seriously by a specialist.
**Causes of self-harm: why does a person start to harm himself?**
Self-harm rarely occurs suddenly or spontaneously. In most cases, its roots lie in an environment of chronic stress, mental trauma, depression, and long-term emotional instability.
“When a person does not have sufficient skills to manage their emotions, self-harm becomes a pathological way of coping with internal experiences. For many patients, self-harm is a kind of mechanism for overcoming strong emotions,” says Dr. Nuriddin.
Because during physical pain, the body produces special substances that temporarily reduce emotional tension. In addition, a person’s attention shifts from the mental state to physical pain.
“That is why the patient may feel short-term relief, but the real cause of the suffering still does not go away,” warns the psychiatrist.
Another common myth surrounding this problem is the mistaken belief that a person harms himself only to attract the attention of others.
“In fact, autoaggressive behavior is more likely a sign of a deeper psychological disorder and an ineffective way of coping with stress,” says the doctor.
**What do sufferers of autoaggression often complain about?**
The doctor listed the main feelings that people diagnosed with autoaggression often describe:
* a feeling of inner emptiness;
* strong anxiety and fear;
* a constant feeling of guilt;
* constant emotional tension;
* a feeling of loneliness;
* sleep disturbance;
* complete loss of interest in life;
* a sense of helplessness and shame;
* a strong feeling of anger and hatred directed at oneself.
“Sometimes it is difficult for a person to even express his feelings in words, he simply feels an extremely high level of internal tension. In my practice, I often hear statements like: ‘I don’t want to die. I just want this pain inside me to stop,’” says the specialist.
In addition, Dr. Nuriddin Abdullayev gave an example of a typical patient’s life from his own experience.
A young girl repeatedly inflicted physical harm on herself. Her parents thought that in this way their daughter wanted to show off to everyone and attract attention.
“However, when we talked to the patient in more detail, it became clear that for several years she had lived in chronic anxiety and loneliness, considered herself an unnecessary burden on her family, and did not tell anyone about her inner feelings. Self-harm only gave her short-term relief, after which the feeling of guilt only intensified,” the doctor recalls.
After systematic treatment and psychotherapy began, the girl gradually learned to cope with her emotions in healthy, non-injurious ways.
According to Dr. Abdullayev, after a few months, her episodes of self-harm completely stopped. A year later, she returned to her studies, began working on her future plans, and for the first time in a long time, she reported that she had regained interest in life.
**Autoaggression and childhood abuse: what does the research say?**
In 2019, a large systematic review was published in the prestigious journal The Lancet Psychiatry. In it, scientists sought to answer the question of whether childhood abuse directly causes the development of autoaggression in the future.
The authors conducted a comprehensive analysis of data from a total of 71 scientific studies. In these studies, experts studied the relationship between non-suicidal autoaggression and various forms of childhood abuse:
* sexual abuse;
* physical abuse;
* emotional abuse;
* physical neglect;
* emotional abandonment.
The researchers concluded that people who were abused and bullied in childhood were more likely to engage in autoaggression than those who did not experience such a difficult past. This link has been clearly demonstrated in almost all forms of unhealthy family environments.
However, the authors of the study emphasize one thing: this does not mean that past violence inevitably leads to autoaggression. It is simply that such a difficult experience significantly increases the likelihood of a person harming themselves in the future.
That is why doctors recommend that when examining patients with autoaggression, they ask about the environment in which they grew up and how they were treated in childhood. This allows for early identification of people at risk and timely initiation of treatment.
Dr. Nuriddin Abdullayev notes that some people, realizing that they cannot independently manage their condition, turn to doctors themselves. However, often relatives or friends are the first to become concerned. Their concern increases especially when they notice a sharp change in the behavior of a loved one, a change in behavior, suspicious injuries on the body, or statements about the meaninglessness of life.
It is difficult to predict how long the treatment process will last.
“Based on my personal experience, the longest observation and treatment period was about two years. But here we must understand one thing correctly: we are not just treating the autoaggression itself, but the underlying mental illness or unhealthy condition that led a person to this state,” says the psychiatrist.
**Words that make the situation worse: important advice for loved ones**
Dr. Abdullayev emphasizes that the most incorrect and harmful reaction shown by loved ones is denial, belittling and blaming the patient.
Phrases such as “You just don’t like yourself”, “All this is nonsense”, “You want to attract everyone’s attention”, “Get a grip on yourself” or “It’s harder for others, just bear it” deepen the patient’s feelings of guilt, shame and loneliness and isolate him from society.
Instead, the doctor advises to listen to a loved one or friend calmly, without any emotions, never criticize him, and show him in practice that he is not alone, that he has people in life to rely on. Only then will the patient have the desire and opportunity to seek professional psychological help without fear.