Auto-aggression: symptoms, causes and treatment. Causes of auto-aggression

Main symptoms:

Hair pulling
Closedness
Changes in character
Intrusive thoughts of suicide
Presence of fresh wounds on the body
Detachment from the environment
The habit of wearing closed clothes
Alcohol addiction
Harshness when answering questions
Tendency to self-harm
Addiction to drugs

Auto-aggression is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by the fact that a person intentionally causes physical harm to himself: cutting or scratching his hands, hitting himself, tearing his skin, tearing out his hair, and so on. Suicide attempts, that is, suicide, should also be classified as auto-aggression.

Auto-aggression most often occurs in adolescents. This kind of disorder at this age is most often caused by stress, nervous experiences and similar factors.

Basically, the patient does not realize what he is doing. During an attack, he performs all actions automatically, without realizing what consequences this may have.

The clinical picture will manifest itself in a sharp change in mood, aggressiveness not only towards oneself, but also towards others. At the same time, the person’s consciousness remains clear, and he tries to hide such attacks from other people. That is why it is quite difficult to diagnose the disease in a timely manner.

Diagnosis is carried out through a physical examination, psychiatric tests, and in some cases laboratory and instrumental research methods.

Treatment will be selected only on an individual basis. If auto-aggression is severe, hospitalization will be required. In general, therapy should only be carried out in a comprehensive manner: medication is combined with a course of psychotherapy, and in some cases, physiotherapeutic procedures are additionally prescribed.

In this case, it is quite difficult to make long-term forecasts, since the outcome of therapy will depend on many factors, the fundamental of which are the severity of the pathological process, the timeliness of the start of treatment, the age and personal history of the patient. But the sooner therapy is started, the better.

Etiology

Auto-aggression in adults can be caused by the following etiological factors:

increased psycho-emotional sensitivity;
sensitive psyche;
high ability to empathize;
tendency to empathy;
personal history of physical or psychological abuse;
experienced stress;
constant nervous tension.

People at risk are those who:

have a tendency to and;
prone to loneliness, have difficulty making contact with other people;
have a low level of self-esteem.

Auto-aggression in a child can have the following reasons:

parental prohibitions - some children manipulate their parents in this way, achieving fulfillment of their desires;
lack of attention - if a child does not receive enough attention from his parents, aggression is used as a tool to attract attention;
humiliation from peers or adults - not being able to express anger and resentment on anyone else, the child begins to take out negative emotions on himself;
conflicts - conflict situations in a team or at home also quite often lead to the child beginning to self-destruct;
strong, experienced earlier.

It is also possible that attacks of this nature may be a consequence of individual characteristics.

Classification

In psychology, the following types of auto-aggression are distinguished:

mental - in this case, a person influences himself morally (threatens himself, insults, humiliates);
physical - deliberately causes physical harm to oneself, in especially rare cases a person asks others to beat him, damage certain parts of his body, and so on;
spiritual - in this case, spiritual self-destruction occurs, but one should not assume that this form of the disease is less dangerous than others, since quite often a complication occurs in the form of psychiatric diseases;
social - manifested in the desire to become a social outcast, a hermit - a person begins to behave immorally, he receives pleasure only when others begin to react negatively to him.

Any form of auto-aggression is dangerous not only for the patient himself, but also for those around him.

Symptoms

It should be noted that an attack of auto-aggression can occur in a person both consciously and unconsciously, so it is not always possible for a person to explain the reason for such behavior.

The following factors may indicate that a person is having such attacks:

the presence of scars, fresh wounds on the arms, legs and other accessible parts of the body (most often these are stripes, marks from nails or teeth);
the habit of wearing long sleeves and overalls appears, even if it is out of season;
detachment from loved ones and acquaintances;
a person often talks about being accidentally injured;
irritability, sudden mood swings;
a person begins to use alcohol and drugs;
becomes withdrawn, responds sharply to questions;
traits appear in the psychotype that were previously unusual for him.

During the manifestation of autoregression, a person, consciously or not, can inflict cutting wounds on himself, both with his hands and with objects that are at hand. In some cases, he pulls out his hair, beats himself with his hands or improvised means, and tears his face. In other words, he causes himself physical or moral harm in every possible way.

Diagnostics

Specific diagnostic measures have not yet been developed. In this case, the diagnosis is based on a personal history, clarification of the current clinical picture, as well as some psychiatric tests, the nature of which will be determined by the doctor individually, depending on what specific symptoms are present at the time of the examination.

Treatment

Treatment will include drug therapy, psychological training, and individual sessions with a psychotherapist.

As for the pharmacological part of therapeutic measures, it can be based on the following drugs:

antidepressants;
tranquilizers;
mood stabilizers;
neuroleptics;
sedatives.

With such a psychiatric disorder, it is important for the patient himself to understand that he has a problem and needs to get rid of it. A mandatory aspect of therapy in this case will be psychotherapy, both personally and in trainings. In the case of children, family psychotherapy will be required.

It is quite possible to cure such a disease, but therapy must be started in a timely manner. Otherwise, against the background of such a disorder, psychiatric diseases of a more severe form may develop.

Unfortunately, there is no specific prevention for this disease. At the first symptoms noticed, you need to contact a specialist and not ignore the problem.

Is everything in the article correct from a medical point of view?

Answer only if you have proven medical knowledge

Diseases with similar symptoms:

Mental disorders, characterized primarily by decreased mood, motor retardation and disruption of thinking, are a serious and dangerous disease called depression. Many people believe that depression is not a disease and, moreover, does not pose any particular danger, which they are deeply mistaken about. Depression is a rather dangerous type of disease, caused by a person’s passivity and depression.

Aggression is considered an unhealthy phenomenon because a person begins to engage in self-criticism. Surely, many have encountered a situation where a child begins to beat his head on the floor in hysterics, and teenagers generally commit suicide. Unfortunately, such phenomena are becoming more and more common in modern society. What to do in case of auto-aggression? How dangerous is she to others?

Description

This type of aggressive behavior is diagnosed when a person redirects all his rage and anger towards himself. People with this disorder can humiliate themselves, engage in self-flagellation, and cause themselves physical pain. If auto-aggression is started, everything can end in attempts.

Please note that the disease does not appear just like that. Look for the main reason in childhood. There are some exceptions in which auto-aggression begins to develop in adults. Most often these are quite serious injuries.

Psychiatrists are sure: auto-aggression is a kind of protective mechanism, sometimes necessary for self-preservation. This happens when it is dangerous to express anger at other people, but it is quite difficult to contain unpleasant emotions. All this happens subconsciously.

We note that auto-aggression is typical for any person, but it occurs in a safe form. Everyone can reproach themselves for some mistakes in life, accidents, troubles that happen to loved ones. But all the signs of auto-aggression pass after a while, leaving only emotional experiences.

The pathological form of the disease develops over a long time, and over time it can become severe. If you do not pay attention to it in a timely manner, everything will end in serious consequences.

Species

In psychiatry, there are 4 main types of auto-aggression:

The mental type includes various psychological problems that manifest themselves in the form of self-abuse. A person begins to scold himself and offend himself.
The physical type manifests itself in the form of a desire to inflict bodily harm on oneself. Some deliberately try to be severely beaten and harmed.
The spiritual type is no less dangerous. Some moral qualities become the reason for the development of drug addiction; a person begins to abuse alcoholic beverages.
The social type manifests itself in the form of a desire to be a social outcast. The person behaves immorally. All actions to achieve the goal do not please him. It becomes easier for the patient when society reacts negatively to him.

Main symptoms

It is very important to promptly pay attention to the signs of self-destruction:

A person begins to blame himself for all sins and shifts responsibility for all actions.
Constant desire to feel pain. A person lives with bad memories.

Treatment methods

If someone close to you exhibits symptoms of auto-aggression, it is necessary to urgently undergo a course of therapy. Be sure to consult a psychotherapist.

Treatment includes taking tranquilizers, as well as individual lessons and psychological training. Relatives should support the patient and be attentive to his condition.

The patient must work on himself. Only after he understands the true reason that led to a serious condition will a person be able to deeply analyze himself.

Valuable advice! Try to strive for enlightenment, kindness, inspiration, peace. Meditate, this way you can calm down and learn the truth of life.

First, it is enough to master simple methods, then you can move on to complex ones. Today there are many different methods and techniques for meditation. After some time, you will be able to enjoy life again.

Reasons

Self-hatred appears after a bad attitude towards a person. You can also highlight personal reasons:

Unattractive appearance.
Poverty.
Resentment.

To cope with a difficult situation, you must first realize: there are no certain living standards regarding intelligence, appearance, wealth. Only weak, cowardly people can mock and laugh at others.

Manifestation of auto-aggression in children

Many mothers have noticed inappropriate behavior of the child - he begins to scratch, hit himself, and bite. It is difficult for children to adapt to the world around them; they are constantly tormented by internal conflict, which can only be dealt with after psychotherapeutic assistance is provided.

Often, auto-aggression in children arises from insufficient education and parental inattention. The child cannot go against his parents, so he gets angry with himself.

Parents can check their children using the test:

The child underestimates himself and his individual qualities.
The child has virtually no contact with friends and is overly shy.
The baby cries constantly and is in a bad, depressed mood.
If he likes something, he may hit his head on the floor, hitting himself in the face with his fists.

In many children, auto-aggression occurs after parents name their offspring. When parents constantly criticize a child for failures, shouting for no reason, the child’s performance decreases sharply.

Some children are born overly sensitive and empathize with their loved ones and friends. For example, when a mother pretends to cry because her child does not listen to her, the emotional child gets very scared, begins to blame himself, and then punishes.

Children who are under 3 years old begin to protest. At first it may be whims, the main thing is to ensure that self-destruction does not become a bad habit.

Auto-aggression in adolescence is especially dangerous. In this case, the behavior is associated with an unstable psyche due to hormonal imbalance. The child acutely perceives the world around him.

So, don't ruin your life. Look around, it's still beautiful. If you don't like something, change it. There is only one life and you need to live it with dignity. Be healthy!

The concept of “auto-aggression” implies causing physical harm to oneself during a stressful situation. A common type of this psychological deviation is the so-called “self harm”, which literally translated from English means “ self-harm».

Why do we hurt ourselves?

More generally, auto-aggression is directly related to uncontrollable actions that are committed by a person at the time of an attack and cause significant damage to his physiological health.

This could be uncontrolled drinking or drug use, suicidal thoughts, strange desires related to danger and extreme sports. The desire to harm oneself is often abstract and subconscious, but regardless of this, the result can be sad.

Meanwhile, auto-aggression manifests itself in each of us. Experiencing negative emotions, we allow ourselves to “get drunk”, smoke an uncontrollable amount of cigarettes, hit the wall with our fist, injuring our hand. This phenomenon is expressed much more sadly in easily excitable individuals.

Have you ever met a person who, after a scandal in the family, strives for reckless driving in a car? Or a person in whose thoughts, when shocked, obvious desires to commit suicide creep in? A classic example of auto-aggression is Anna Karenina. And each of us is aware of the sad outcome of the life of a literary heroine.

The causes of auto-aggression, as usual, lie in a difficult childhood. Unmotivated attacks of aggression towards oneself are more common in people who have experienced psychological and physical violence from loved ones or have endured constant pressure from their mother (“ You are not as smart, educated, developed as..."), were subjected to condemnation and ridicule from their peers. All these emotional wounds do not pass without leaving a trace on the psyche.

At a conscious age, they develop into real self-hatred, constant self-reproaches, and psychological disharmony. Auto-aggression is common in adolescents; moreover, it is at puberty that it manifests itself most clearly. Less common in children.

In adults it often manifests itself on a subconscious level. Treatment of attacks of auto-aggression begins with a detailed analysis of the reasons that provoked the deviation.

Root of Evil

Auto-aggression in modern psychoanalysis is interpreted as anger directed in an unnecessary direction. Each of us is extremely angry. Many take out their inner evil in outbursts aimed at destroying material things: breaking dishes and glass, tearing sheets, and finally beating an amateur punching bag.

By taking out your anger on the “unfeeling”, you free your mind from negative emotions without hurting or offending your neighbor. Attacks of aggression and auto-aggression have a fundamental difference.

Aggression is manifested in the following actions:

Scandals and conflicts in relation to loved ones, friends, colleagues;
Destruction of material objects;
Causing physical harm to others (violence);
Provocations of strangers;
Riotousness, often unmotivated.

Auto-aggression is expressed in the following actions:

Intentional refusal of food and food ();
Harm to yourself and your health (cuts, bruises);
Purposeful desire to get into an accident or disaster;
Suicidal attempts;
Abuse of alcohol, nicotine and drugs “to relieve stress”;
Sacrificial behavior (suggestion to loved ones and others like “ I'll die and you'll regret it»);
Minor deviant factors (a person crushes pimples until they bleed, bites nails, tears off scabs from ulcers and wounds).

Actions of parents that can contribute to the development of auto-aggression

How often do we dream about offspring, planning the basic needs and expenses for their maintenance. But the lion's share of future and present parents do not think about how much more important it is to raise their child as a worthy member of society!

Imagine: even the smallest mistake can raise a real monster, a manipulator, and even an “auto-aggressor” from your child.

Auto-aggression in a small child manifests itself in small things, and does not yet have a destructive scale. Your baby may scratch himself, deliberately try to get dirty, bite his hands, or bite his nails. What would you do in the latter case?

Of course, they would punish the baby, perhaps by resorting to such “valuable” grandmother’s advice as lubricating his hands with pepper tincture. And this would make the situation even worse. Let's figure out what absolutely cannot be done, so as not to develop a person suffering from auto-aggression out of your beloved child.

Things that are guaranteed to lead to auto-aggression:

Physical punishment (violence, beatings, orders to stand on your rump in the corner, etc.);
Orders " come up with your own punishment» (« You got a bad grade, now figure out what I can limit you in so that you think about your behavior»);
Mental oppression of the child (“ You study worse than your classmate Sasha, you are stupider than my friend’s daughter, you are too fat to eat cake»);
Humiliation and ridicule of the child (even “kind” ones);
Ignoring the baby’s problems related to social adaptation and communication abilities;
Lack of tenderness and care on your part (especially during attacks);
Leaving the child to his own devices (“ If you don't follow me now, I'll leave!», « Solve your problems yourself»);
Active defense of an opponent in street or school conflicts (“ You yourself provoked the quarrel! Zhenya is not to blame for anything!»).

How to unravel the tangle of auto-aggression?

Auto-aggression in children and adults can be corrected at any stage of life, provided that the person (or his parent) is clearly aware of the problem and sincerely wants to resolve it. If you think it’s normal to drink too much alcohol or cut your hand with a blade after a quarrel with your partner, alas, we can’t help you.

If you are absolutely sure that this is a behavioral disorder that needs to be eradicated, we will be happy to give you advice on how best to do this.

In psychoanalysis, the following approach is recommended to eradicate the problem:

As soon as you feel the desire to “dispel the melancholy” with strong drinks or drugs, find a healthy and worthy alternative: watch a good movie, listen to melodious music, buy yourself a fragrant bath foam and relax in the water;
If your auto-aggression manifests itself in causing physical harm to yourself, take up sports training: your body and health will thank you, and your psyche will become stable over time;
Express your negativity in creativity: draw, sing, dance, write poetry or prose!;
At the moment of attack, throw out all the negativity onto the paper, and then vigorously tear it apart;
Buy yourself a miniature punching bag;
Go to the chat and chat with strangers about life (without venting negativity and insults);
Chew something spicy, bitter or sour;
Scream into a pillow or blanket, beat them;
Squeeze something elastic in your hand;
“Make some noise”: hit a saucepan or piano keys.

If your child has a problem, help him in the following ways:

Do not ask your child about what happened. Act on the principle of feedback, speak affirmatively " You are hurt, offended, angry" Sooner or later, the child will give you a positive answer, and only then you will be able to understand in detail his psychological trauma;
Do not under any circumstances say " Nothing happened, you're not hurt" The child may think that an authoritative person in your person considers his problem insignificant. And since he perceives her so subtly, it means he is bad, unwanted, strange;
Draw with your child, but not quite standard pictures. Place your palms in gouache and make “scribbles” with your hands on a sheet of whatman paper;
Don’t be shy to show affection, reassure your child, hug and kiss him more often;
In any third-party conflict with your child, look for a constructive solution, not for those to blame.

We sincerely hope that such a harmful phenomenon as auto-aggression will not affect you and your family. But if this happens, don’t leave things to chance. The time has come to act and fight the “bad” depths of the subconscious! Follow our advice and you will definitely gain spiritual harmony.

796 2018-06-03

Auto-aggression (auto- + lat. aggression seizure, attack) is a very multi-valued concept, most often manifested in self-destruction, punishing oneself both morally and physically, taking out anger, resentment, and hatred on oneself or others. Often at the heart of this phenomenon lies anger and self-dislike, which serve as a trigger for auto-aggression. Auto-aggression is destructive, it is not aimed at eliminating the cause stressful situations, but to destroy a person suffering in a stressful situation.

Alarmed brain stops the production of endorphins (hormones of happiness). The biochemistry of the brain changes, stress hormones enter a person’s blood, which prompt him to action, to aggression.

In psychoanalysis, auto-aggression is considered a protective mechanism of the psyche - when a person, for some reason, cannot direct aggressive impulse on the external object from which it arose, he redirects it to himself.

Auto-aggression as a habit of experiencing one’s wrong, bad behavior is not inherent in a person by nature. In the first year of life children They don’t make excuses and don’t worry about their mistakes, they learn this later.

The problem of auto-aggression, aggressive, cruel, self-destructive behavior of a person in society is currently acute and relevant, discussed in the media due to the increasing frequency of cases of auto-aggression, unjustified brutal murders, antisocial, immoral behavior of people in society. The social significance of the problem comes to the fore.

Causes of auto-aggression

Prohibitions. Auto-aggressive actions are characteristic of children 3-4 years old, who react painfully to parental “no”, roll tantrums with hitting hands, feet, head on the floor or hard objects.
Lack of love, care. The child decides that he is not needed by his parents, looks for the reason in his own “bad behavior” and punishes himself, while at the same time attracting attention loved ones, causing pity. Errors education - a common cause of auto-aggression.
Humiliation. Abuse of children at home and at school, ridicule, and inattention to pressing problems are almost guaranteed to lead to self-destructive behavior.
Conflicts. Difficulties in establishing contact with peers force one to look for and punish the “guilty” person - oneself, and can lead to suicide. Teenage “death groups” significantly increase risks.
Social tolerance for self-destruction. It is considered acceptable to drink alcohol as a sedative. Alcohol increases depression and becomes both a consequence and a cause of auto-aggression.

Disadaptation is a violation of the ability to adequately adapt (cognition and interaction) with the environment, a conflict of intrapersonal needs, attitudes and conditions, “demands” of external reality. The inability of a person to socialize and integrate into society, the failure of interpersonal interaction, characterized by the peculiarities of the perception of other people, problems with gender identity, can lead to vivid and negative actions of a destructive nature, for example, suicide. With the help of auto-aggression, a person copes with feelings of guilt. He punishes himself, and after being punished, he experiences temporary relief. Guilt is one of the most common sources of self-destructive behavior. Feelings of guilt can appear as a consequence of other people's manipulations, for example, parents often instill in their children a feeling of guilt, because this makes them easier to control. Also, the family could suppress emotions , prohibit expressing dissatisfaction or generally discussing relationships, negative emotions, then periodic outbreaks of auto-aggressive behavior are most likely to appear.

American researcher E. Shneidman, on the basis of ideas about deviant behavior existing in psychology and clinical psychology, defines auto-aggressive behavior as “ actions aimed at causing any damage to one’s physical or mental health».

Human autoaggression includes various types of social pathologies, problems with disorders and aggressive behavior. In a person’s auto-aggressive behavior, first of all, such motives of action are revealed as to harm oneself and to harm others, committing cruel actions on the verge of psychopathy in relation to the people around him. The lack of an external object to which destructiveness can be directed can ultimately lead to suicide. The correct and easiest way to try to express your anger verbally is to acknowledge the fact that you are angry with yourself and find ways to release this anger.

Very often, the origins of self-destructive behavior should be sought in psychological trauma received at an early age. Violence in childhood, moral and physical, can lead to mental changes. Self-hatred can be caused in a child by parents constantly comparing their child with strangers, or when parents constantly tell him that it would be better not to give birth to him. Excessive authoritarianism of parents and their desire to suppress the child is a child’s direct path to auto-aggression. There are no bad emotions and feelings - the anger of a child has the same right to exist as the anger of an adult. And suppressing this anger can easily lead to withdrawal or an outburst of aggression on weaker people.

In children and adolescents, signs of auto-aggression manifest themselves in the form autism , developmental disabilities, isolation, conflicts with peers, fanatical attitude towards idols, passion for extreme sports , suicidal feelings. In preschool children, one can also notice behavioral symptoms of auto-aggression, but on a psychological level they will not always be dictated by self-hatred. They may unconsciously demand pity or attention in this way.

Classic manifestations of auto-aggression are:

unconscious tendency to engage in risky behavior (for example, alcohol and drug abuse, breaking the habit of looking left before crossing the road, aggressive driving, risky sex , craving for extreme sports, delaying a visit to the doctor and, accordingly, “triggering” the disease), destructive habits (scratching, tearing skin, biting nails). Like implicit self-destruction - dubious ways of “improving” the body: changing appearance through plastic surgery, tattoos, piercing , unhealthy diets;
conscious (suicidal attempts) auto-aggressive behavior, which also includes self-harm of varying severity, the forced response to emotional pain, causing feelings of guilt. Suicide is committed deliberately, in a state of passion (in a state of emotional outburst) or in the form of blackmail (an attempt to solve one’s problems with someone else’s hands). By imitating suicide, causing bodily harm to himself, the patient tries to create a feeling of guilt in those around him, motivating them to take actions that suit him.

Auto-aggression is expressed in the following actions:

Intentional refusal of food and food (nervous anorexia );
Harm to yourself and your health (cuts, bruises );
Purposeful desire to get into an accident or disaster;
Suicidal attempts;
Alcohol abuse nicotine and drugs “to relieve stress”;
Sacrificial behavior (suggestion to loved ones and others like “I will die, and you will regret it”);
Minor deviant factors (a person presses acne until he bleeds, bites his nails, tears off scabs from ulcers and wounds).

Self-accusation, contrived suffering, unhealthy shyness, a sense of duty, jealousy, chronic resentment are manifestations of moral self-aggression.

From the point of view of psychoanalysis, unconscious self-injury is a behavior in which a person always stumbles upon something and is covered in bruises- is also an example of auto-aggressive behavior. Auto-aggression is considered as a protective mechanism of the psyche, and has been known since the time of Freud.

It happens that auto-aggression is not expressed in any actions, but manifests itself in psychosomatics. A person does not release negative emotions, accumulates latent stress and gets a real disease. Most often these are diseases of the cardiovascular system (for example, hypertension ) or gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, ulcers, esophagitis).

Psychosomatoses provoked by autoaggression:

Organic - hypertension, autoimmune, gynecological, endocrine, oncological diseases
Functional - vegetative neuroses
Personality disorders - alcoholism, addiction , substance abuse , eating disorder ( bulimia , anorexia, obesity ), smoking , workaholism, passion for extreme sports

Auto-aggression as a symptom of congenital psychopathology

Psychopathy (anomaly of personality development) is a consequence of congenital biochemical, organic and functional disorders of the central nervous system. The patient is anxious, he shows aggression in any form. Masochism (physical, moral), binge alcoholism, persistent complex inferiority - symptoms of central nervous system diseases.

The famous American psychiatrist Karl Menninger believed that, for example, self-injury is the concentration of the murderous impulse on one part of the body in order to avoid suicide. When a person cuts only his arm or leg, but remains alive. But, one way or another, if self-destructive behavior is pronounced, you need to contact a specialist. Depending on how far a person has gone in the manifestations of auto-aggression, he is not always able to independently monitor his condition and stop. If there is some serious reason for self-destructive behavior, for example, an unprocessed trauma or “clamps” buried in the depths of the subconscious, a person is unlikely to be able to “pull them out” on his own and work with it safely.

Treatment and prevention of auto-aggression

Exclude (identify) pathology of the central nervous system (MRI of the brain, consultation with an epileptologist, neurologist)
Identify the causes of abnormal behavior, bad mood, learn to cope with a traumatic situation (consultation with a psychotherapist)
Drug treatment (nootropic, psychotropic drugs as prescribed by a doctor)
Vitamin therapy
Sport
Autogenic training

A person can redirect aggressive energy into creativity, this often helps greatly in recovery. Because the free release of anger does not free a person, but, on the contrary, increases anger and forms a bad habit. At the psychological level, dissatisfaction with oneself, anger directed at oneself (or at others), is opposed to acceptance and love.

Depending on the extent of the disease, there may be both drug and non-drug treatment options. As part of strategic psychotherapy, when working with auto-aggression, the technique of imposed symptom can be used. For example, a person who cuts himself should undress every day, stand in front of a mirror and touch the blade to the place where he wants to cut. If he cannot resist this urge, then he has exactly five minutes to cut himself. After this time, he must finish and wait until the next day to repeat everything again. Thus, a person, firstly, looks at himself from the outside at the moment of cutting, and, secondly, when he has five minutes, the pleasure of inflicting pain on himself is destroyed - it is no longer the symptom that controls the person, but the person - the symptom .

If you can’t cope with your feelings, contact a professional doctor. Get rid of your problem, but not yourself. By taking action you will regain your good mood and joy of life.

If self-aggression is typical of someone close to you, do not ignore alarm bells. Show concern, be interested, delve into it. Remember, love can literally heal and save lives. Be sure to devote time to your children, relatives, family, and friends. Listen, reassure and support.

Auto-aggression in a child

Things that are guaranteed to lead to auto-aggression:

Physical punishment (violence, beatings, orders to stand on your rump in the corner, etc.);
Orders to “come up with your own punishment” (“You received a bad grade, now figure out what I can limit you in so that you think about your behavior”);
Mental oppression of the child (“You study worse than your classmate Sasha, you are stupider than my friend’s daughter, you are too fat to eat cake”);
Humiliation and ridicule of the child (even “kind” ones);
Ignoring the baby’s problems related to social adaptation and communication abilities;
Lack of tenderness and care on your part (especially during attacks);
Leaving the child to his own devices (“If you don’t follow me now, I’ll leave!”, “Solve your problems yourself”);
Active defense of the opponent in street or school conflicts (“You yourself provoked the quarrel! Zhenya is not to blame for anything!”).

If your child has a problem, help him in the following ways:

Do not ask your child about what happened. Act on the principle of feedback, say affirmatively, “You are hurt, offended, you are angry.” Sooner or later, the child will give you a positive answer, and only then you will be able to understand in detail his psychological trauma;
Never say, “Nothing happened, you’re not hurt.” The child may think that an authoritative person in your person considers his problem insignificant. And since he perceives her so subtly, it means he is bad, unwanted, strange;
Draw with your child, but not quite standard pictures. Place your palms in gouache and make “scribbles” with your hands on a sheet of whatman paper;
Don’t be shy to show affection, reassure your child, hug and kiss him more often;
In any third-party conflict with your child, look for a constructive solution, not for those to blame.

Take care of yourself and be healthy!