SELF INJURY AWARENESS DAY - MARCH 1
SELF INJURY AWARENESS DAY HAVE YOU COME ACROSS ANYONE WHO HAS UNEXPLAINED CUTS/ BURNS/ BRUISES ? OR SOMEONE WHO IS PERSISTENTLY UNABLE TO HANDLE EMOTIONS? NON SUICIDAL SELF INJURY (NSSI) IS A COMPARATIVELY NEW WOR D ADDED IN THE VOCABULARY OF MENTAL HEALT H ISSUES. IT IS A VERY MUCH UNDERRATED AND IGNORED SIGN OF MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. Self-injury occurs in many forms- cutting, scratching, punching and ingestion of chemicals; and occurs for many reasons- coping with fear, stress, anxiety, or inducing positive feelings. People who self-injure may try to hide their injuries. Their clothing may not fit the season. They w ould be seen wearing loose long clothes to hide the marks. Another commonly seen behaviour is getting excessive tattoos to conceal the scar marks. Age is no bar in NSSI. it is seen in as young as 6 years old to as old as even 70 years old. De-busting some myths about NSSI : It’s not an a...