5 Ways to Help Your Child Who Self-Injures

Hidden pain is difficult for anyone to manage without help, especially for those who are young. Nothing in ordinary life naturally prepares us for pain that cannot be expressed. Additionally, the outward world — what your child, teen, or young adult observes — often offers a distortion of what is really going on in the lives of others. Television and movies present unrealistic details, magazines and online media may glamorize extreme ideals and peer behavior, and friendship upheaval exerts tremendous pressure at a time in life when big changes are happening to the body and mind. You may be the last person to find out your child is struggling. If you have no prior experience with this topic or related mental health training, you may not know how to help. Self-injury (non-suicidal) may not have one single cause that is easy to understand. Coping skills can help, but the lack of these skills affects behavior and self-confidence adversely. Psychological pain is very different from visible, physical hurt but is just as real. Confusion about mixed emotions and difficulty in understanding how to process them may compound the main issue or issues by causing feelings of loneliness, anger, guilt, self-hatred, or worthlessness.  First, don’t panic. If you remain calm and offer unconditional love and open communication, you set a model for your child or teen to follow. Let him or her know you are there to help with suggestions that really work. Many resources are availab...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Children and Teens Parenting Child Development Self Harm Self Injury Source Type: blogs