...In your opinion what are the main causes of self harm in children and young people. In your answer consider the importance of carrying out an initial assessment and risk management and identify which therapeutic interventions would be most appropriate. Self-harm, in this context is non-accidental or deliberate self harm it includes activities ranging from scratching the skin to severing arteries, ‘overdosing’ with pharmaceutical medications, taking illicit drugs, binge drinking, tying ligatures around the neck, inserting foreign bodies into open wounds, burning the skin, pulling hair, head banging and biting. (RCPSYCH, 2009) In children and young adults it usually suggests the presence of strong emotions they feel unable to articulate. Self-harm is a way of dealing with very difficult feelings that build up inside. People say different things about why they do it. Some say that they have been feeling desperate about a problem and don't know where to turn for help. They feel trapped and helpless. Self-injury helps them to feel more in control. Some people talk of feelings of anger or tension that get bottled up inside, until they feel like exploding. Self-injury helps to relieve the tension that they feel. Feelings of guilt or shame may also become unbearable. Self-harm is way of punishing oneself. Some people try to cope with very upsetting experiences, such as trauma or abuse, by convincing themselves that the upsetting event(s) never happened. These people sometimes...
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...Self-Injury Self-injury is a topic that is being discussed more often in the news, on television shows, in school settings, and in the psychological and medical fields. In a survey conducted by McGill University, seventy-four percent of the teachers reported having a personal encounter with self-injury but only twenty percent felt knowledgeable about working with those students (see Heath, Toste, & Beettam, 2007, 73). If the results are similar for the larger population, then it would be beneficial to inform and educate people who may encounter the individuals who participate in self-injurious behavior. Because most people think of self-injury as a new topic of discussion, many people assume that it is not actually a problem but only a cry for attention. Consequently much more research has been conducted in the past decade to determine what self-injury actually is and how it can be recognized. The research has produced results that not only define self-injury but also identify the criteria for diagnosis, and patterns of behavior that assist in recognizing an individual who is engaging in the action. Further research is required due to the fact that most of the focus has been on Caucasian women and young adults; is it prevalent among other demographic populations? Are there disorders that are common among self-injurers? Because it is becoming a more common problem among young adults, educators would benefit from these findings. Individuals in a school setting have expressed...
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...Self- Mutilation There are a number of different ways to define what self-mutilation entails. It is one of the most commonly used phrases, but researchers and mental health professionals have not been able to agree on one specific definition to explain self-inflicted injury. Hence, self-harm, self-injury and self-mutilation are the common phrases used to refer to this type of behavior ( Zila & Kiselica, 2001). Many people tend to associate self mutilation with suicide, when in fact they are very different. Therefore, when attempting to understand self-mutilation it is important to recognize the distinct differences between self mutilation and suicide. Suicide is an attempt to depart from pain through ending one’s life. While self mutilation is an effort to create relief from a negative affective incident, it differs for each person. It is used as a means for a person to temporarily deal with the pain, rather than abort it all together. In suicidal patients, pain is viewed as everlasting, which makes them feel hopeless. While, on the other hand self-injurers often portray an optimistic attitude (Walsh, 2006). Hence, there is a big difference between the behaviors and intent, which is why it is important to recognize these differences. Self-injurious behavior tends to be separated into two general categories: culturally sanctioned and deviant self mutilation. Culturally sanctioned rituals and practices comprise of ear piercing in the modern U.S culture, sacrament dances amongst...
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...[pic] What is self harm? “Self-harm is when somebody intentionally damages or injures their body. It is a way of coping with or expressing overwhelming emotional distress.” (NHS, 2013) Self-harm is a way of expressing very deep distress and often, people do not know why they self-harm. It's a means of communicating what can't be put into words or even into thoughts and has been described as an inner scream. Afterwards, people feel better able to cope with life again, for a while. People may injure or poison themselves by scratching, cutting or burning their skin, by hitting themselves against objects, taking a drug overdose, or swallowing or putting other things inside themselves. It may also take less obvious forms, including unnecessary risks, staying in an abusive relationship, developing an eating problem (such as anorexia or bulimia), being addicted to alcohol or drugs, or someone simply not looking after their own emotional and physical needs. Why do some people self harm? Self harming, for some people, can be a coping mechanism to deal with their inner feelings and emotions for example, rage sadness, emptiness, grief, self hatred/guilt, fear, loneliness. Self-harm could be for a number of reasons such as, a way of releasing pain out, or being distracted from inner self pain instead of communicating the feelings to somebody else. Other reasons for self harm may be that some may find it a comfort from feeling the pain as though they are being...
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...Chapter Four – Learning To Please The Person Who Really Matters Chapter Five – Is Love Real? - Thomas Malkin Chapter Six – Make Your Needs A Priority Chapter Seven – Me, Myself & I – Thomas Malkin Chapter Eight – Life Without Love Chapter Nine – The Prodigal Son – Arslaan Amjad Chapter Ten - Is It Worth Being Nice? Final Chapter – Will You Change? Introduction Two years of dramatic social change and one huge life changing experience has created a teenager, who can make a change in the world which is breaking down to tiny peices of a jigsaw puzzle. Life around him may not seem what you wished for when you were young and had little thought of what is happening socially. Wrapped up in a warm blanket watching movies with your family. Asking your self that once you step...
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...problems, along with no social life outside of work. To top it all William has just recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure. As you can see William is at a very low point in his life and if I had to be the one to diagnose William, I would say that William suffers from a major depressive disorder along with an anxiety disorder. In my recommendations, I feel that it would be in Williams best interest if he were treated for his problems with some intensive therapy for his personal issues that he is battling along with some medication for the anxiety and sleepless nights. I further feel that maybe William could try some over the counter vitamins for his lack of energy. In doing so, I feel that William will begin to feel a lot more self-sufficient in his social life as well as his work...
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...Aniyah Isham Med Pro 1 Ms. Mangan 5/12/2015 “Counselors to be at Corona Del Sol After Suicide” In the authors’ article, Counselors to be at Corona Del Sol After Suicide, they argue that kids in today’s society need to talk to people about their problems I order to get help for depression. The article also talks mostly about how a kid (Marcus Wheeler) from Corona committed suicide in the middle of school. They claim that kids need to talk about their sadness because you may never know if someone is feeling depressed or not. The authors support this claim by first stating that that the Marcus was seen by his peers as a happy and very likeable person. Then, another way the authors developed this claim is by affirming that one of his friends that saw him the morning he committed suicide, stated that Wheeler seemed fine that morning and didn’t look distraught. And finally, the authors’ purpose is to get family and friends to start to get kids to express how they feel. This will allow them to talk about their feelings without them being startled in order to prevent these suicides. They establish a critical yet formal tone for those that are having suicide thoughts or that are battling day-to-day with depression. This work is significant because it is a big deal that is happening in my community. This article is very relevant since I also know and have friends that deal with the same issues. I agree with mostly every part of this article and it was very interesting reading it compared...
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...Psychology Name Course Tutor Institution Psychology Discuss the rationale why each disorder applies to the patient and each AXIS that goes with each disorder. Signs and symptoms indicate that Smith is suffering from clinical disorders. All the signs and symptoms she is positive and hence indicating that she is suffering from adjustment disorder, bipolar disorder, eating disorder, major depressive disorder, borderline personality disorder and the acute stress disorder. She suffered from some form of mental retardation when she was young, mainly when her mother was harsh. She could be pushed around and forced to babysit her younger sister and brother. She argued out that her mother was both physically and emotionally abusive. Everything was messed up and this actually affected her judgment and thing and that is when she started drinking. Smith’s condition was elevated by drug abuse. The use of recreational drugs and drinking added onto the psychological problems she had. Drinking and doing drugs are known to affect and individuals thinking and judgment. A person with sound and sober mind would not use a straight-edged razor to cut herself. This indicates that she had a lot of psychological issues. Her situation worsened when she attempted suicide by taking another person’s prescription medication. Smith went back to drugs after recovering rather than adhering to her outpatient counseling. The environment that Smith was living in contributed a lot to her situation....
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...I chose to watch the intervention episode for Amy W. Alcoholism, anorexia, depression and self-mutilation were the presenting problems of Amy’s that required intervention. Amy’s parents’ high expectations and unwillingness to show her love growing up started an unforeseeable problem. She was also molested at the tender age of eight by a neighbor but chose to never disclose to anyone but her high school friend Jessica. At the age of thirteen she indulged in self-mutilation to cope when she was upset. Determined to please her parents and gain to love from her parents she developed an eating disorder thinking if she was thin enough they would be pleased with her. As a result, Amy only eats 500 calories a day, drinks a ridiculous amount of liquor a day, and regularly self harm by cutting and burning herself with cigarettes. Additionally, Amy was date raped and has stolen money from her parents to feed her addiction. Amy is also in a codependent relationship with her friend Kathryn, who is also an alcoholic and they indulge each other. Amy and her daughters’ safety is a great concern for her family and friends and they are seeking to help her. A classical/crises intervention took place in order to address Amy’s problems and issues. The social works planned-change steps were used in the intervention to help Amy over come her vices and depression. In order to successfully help Amy her father, mother, two sisters, and two of her best friends were included. The steps were used at...
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...The movie Girl,Interrupted is an intense movie that follows the journey of the lives of a group of women in a mental institution. Taken place in 1960's America, the movie is based on the life of Susanna Kaysen,, as she voluntarily checks herself into an institution after she tried to commit suicide. The movie chronicles the the life inside an institution and the many disorders the women are facing. Susanna, is a high school senior preparing to graduate, until she decides to take an entire bottle of Aspirin followed by a bottle of vodka. After this questionable act, her parents arrange for a meeting with a family friend who is an ex-therapist. Upon closer examination of Susanna, he believes that she was trying to commit suicide, even though Susanna denies the accusations. According to her parents along with her therapist, Susanna’s unconventional approach of working to further her education as well as her professional career were signs of mental instability. Her promiscuity and shoplifting were seen as warning signs indicating to the authority figures her life and leading to their assumption that she suffered from a mental illness. Being that it was the 60’s times were changing and the new generation wasn’t as conventional as the generation before them. If they were able to understand they could have chalked it up to a confused teenager during a time period of social uncertainty and revolution. The consequences to Susanna’s life that resulted because the authority...
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...The article I choose for this assignment is Understanding and Accommodating Students with Depression in the Classroom by R. Marc Crundwell and Kim Killu. The article appears in volume 40, issue number one of the journal Teaching Exceptional Children. The article presents common symptoms of depression in children and adolescents, as well as the steps education professionals should take in identifying and managing the condition in students. The article also suggests accommodations schools can make to help students maximize their academic achievement in light of a diagnosis of depression. The main idea of the article is that although there is little information on practical instructional accommodations and “no evidence-based depression specific school interventions for the disorder” (CITATION,50), there are still steps teachers, school personnel and parents can take to provide the best possible learning environment for affected students. The keys to this are the early identification of at risk children and the consistent monitoring of students who are diagnosed with depression. Furthermore, it is critical that educators have a through working knowledge of the characteristics of depression. This knowledge “increases the ability to identify children and adolescents who cold have depression” (CITATION, 50) and makes teachers “more able to provide effective accommodations.” (CITATION,50) Depression is an emotional disorder typified by a consistent sadness or irritability...
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...commonwealth budget provided substantial funding, $13 million dollars with a combined total of $31 million by 1999. This initial funding lead to the creation of the National Youth Prevention Strategy administered by Department of Health with emphasis on promotion, prevention and early intervention. (Living is for everyone, 2008, p. 7) Since then many agencies have been proactively targeting youth suicide. In 2000 the National Youth Prevention Strategy expanded into Life is for Everyone (LIFE). LIFE is a world-class suicide and self-harm prevention resource. Dedicated to providing the best available evidence and resources to guide activities aimed at reducing the rate at which people take their lives in Australia, LIFE is specifically designed for people across the community who are involved in suicide and self-harm prevention activities. (Living is for everyone, 2008, p. 7) According to LIFE, suicide, which is determined by the coroner as intentional self-harm, accounts for a large portion of deaths for all young people aged 15-24 despite decreases over the last...
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...specifically, cyber bullying is “the use of electronic communication to bully a person, typically by sending messages of an intimidating or threatening nature” (Google). Those who bully may be seeking power, or a winning feeling and often times enjoy the attention they get from buying someone. It is also said that who bully others are usually individuals that have had a poor upbringing, were not shown any love growing up and are jealous, or were bullied themselves. Cyber bullying has many effects that are destructive to the individual or group being bullied. Victims who are affected from cyber bullying often show signs of depression, loss of sleep, unhappiness, anxiety, and complex to ones self. In often times, they even get pushed to the point of thought of suicide or harm to others, such as violent attacks on other individuals. Most of these cyber bullying victims will not tell a parent or trusted adult about the bullying because they are ashamed about it or don’t want a...
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...Severe Depression I. Severe Depression or Clinical depression is severe symptoms that interfere with your ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy life. Depression is rare and anyone can experiences it just like in case study#1 Joe who is suffering from depression. A. In case study #1 Joe is suffering from depression and his father, grandmother, and two uncles suffered with the same abnormal conditions. Depression normally makes people feel sad or empty inside at some point of time in their lives, particularly during their daily activities. One of Joe’s uncles committed suicide due to severe depression, soon after a trauma occurs in someone’s life such as death, losing a job, divorced, or anything that will put them in a depression mode. B. Depression is a common but somber illness and most people who suffer from it never seek treatment. But most that have it can get better with the proper treatment. II. Depression is most likely, caused by a combo of biological, genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. A. Depression illness effects ones brain were you can just about tell just by looking at a person with depression versus someone who isn’t experiences depression. Their mood, the way they think, their sleep habits, how well their appetite is, and definitely how their behavior is may all be different. Other types of depression may be caused by hereditary either on the mother side or father side or both just like in the case study on Joe’s...
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...consequences of failing. The worst and hopefully nonexistent problem is suicide. This is the last resort to a depressed individual and it is always devastating every time it happens. Sometimes when a person loses all hope and is neglected the help he/she deserves they can prematurely end their lives. This is never the answer to any problem but is unfortunately becoming more and more acceptable to young kids. My sister attempted suicide 2 times, she felt she had nothing left on this earth but we put her in a home and she became better. Had we talked to her about her problems sooner, she might have not even attempted suicide. Depression is a growing problem in the United States and its partly our fault due to the fact that we think that this is a self-minded, made up problem. Depression is...
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