Thursday 1st March 2012
Thursday the 1st of March 2012 is international Self-Injury Awareness Day (SIAD). It is a day when we attempt to raise awareness about self-injury, break down stereotypes and debunk the many myths surrounding self-injury. In a show of support for SIAD, people are encouraged to wear orange ribbons, wristbands or beaded bracelets.
I just want to cut! AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!! I want to scream, S C R E A M! S C R E A M! #*%@?! But I can’t scream, nope. I can’t even yell. Mum (or worse Dad) would come running in asking “what’s wrong? Are you OK?” No one understands. They just don’t get it. How can I explain it, when I don’t even understand. There’s nothing REALLY wrong. I just can’t seem to sort out all these thoughts. RRRRRRR! My head hurts, it’s too much, my head just feels all tangled up. I feel all tangled up. I try to distract myself by watching TV, but I just can’t concentrate. I want to cut! It is the only thing that will make me feel better, the only thing that will help, the only thing that will stop all these thoughts and feelings. I don’t want to do it. It’s like an addiction. It’s all I can think about, because I know it will instantly calm me down. My friends seem to cope with stuff ok, worse stuff even, why can’t I? What’s wrong with me? Why do I need to cut myself to feel better?
Many of us cope with our problems in ways that are risky or harmful to ourselves. Some drink or eat too much, smoke or drive too fast, gamble or make ourselves sick though overwork and stress. Self-injury, although more shocking, is very like these more socially acceptable forms of self-harm. Like drinking or over-exercising, hurting oneself sometimes provides an escape from intolerable emotional pain.
Self-injury may be viewed as a maladaptive way of coping. It is typically not a failed suicide attempt. This is an important distinction because self-injury (particularly cutting) is often misunderstood as a failed attempt to kill oneself. However, self-injury rarely results in suicide. Whilst self-injury appears dangerous and destructive, it can actually be conceptualised as an attempt at self-healing or self-preservation.
Many adolescents experiment with self-injury and it is much more common than most people think. This is because self-injury is typically a very personal act conducted in private. It is not a manipulative or attention seeking behaviour. Individuals who self-injure often go to great lengths to hide their behaviour from family and friends, rarely disclosing their behaviour to others, or seeking psychological help or medical attention for their self-harm. Consequently, no one really knows how many people in our community are engaging in self-harm. Self-injury is not specific to any particular subcultures (e.g. Emo, Goth); people of all ages, genders, cultural backgrounds, religions, sexual preferences, and educational levels engage in self-harm.
Some people may self-harm just once or twice. For others it can become a habitual response to any overwhelming situation. They might self-harm several times per day during difficult periods in their life. Therefore, it is important that the issue is addressed immediately. If you have been self-harming, please seek support and advice from your general practitioner who can refer you to a psychologist who can help. If you suspect a friend or family member has been self-harming, try to be supportive whilst not making any assumptions about why they are self-harming or what they need. It is important that you do not force them to stop self-harming before they have developed other ways of successfully coping with their emotional distress. Gently recommend they speak to a mental health professional about their self-harm.
Madeline Wishart
PhD Student at Victoria University
Madeline Wishart is a PhD student in the School of Psychology at Victoria University investigating why people initially start self-harming; her research is entitled The Body as a Voice: A Biopsychosocial Understanding of Self-Harm. The study is supervised by Associate Professor Adrian Fisher and Dr. Karen Hallam. Anyone over 18 years of age is invited to take part in this online study, which aims to generate an understanding of self-harm within a subclinical population. Specifically, this study aims to explore what personal, psychological, social and relationship factors influence the commencement of self-harming behaviours.
This study will recruit three groups, those who self-harm (or have a history of self-harm), those who do not self-harm, and those who treat individuals who self-harm.
This anonymous online survey involves completing a questionnaire that should take approximately 25 minutes to one hour to complete. Participation in this research is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw from the study at any time. Your survey responses will be completely anonymous and you will not be asked to provide your name, or any identifying information at any point in the survey.
On completion of the survey, you will have the choice of entering the draw to win one of 50 online iTunes vouchers valued at AUD$20 each.
For further information please go to:
Survey link: http://vuaehd.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_7OqtDc4F9baTotm
Facebook: http://facebook.com/thebodyasavoice
Email: madeline.wishart@live.vu.edu.au
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Types of Bullying
Bullying comes in many different forms, it can be:
PHYSICAL
Physical bullying can be a little easier to spot, it involves physically hurting someone, so actions such as hitting, pinching, kicking. Physical bullying also involves interfering with another person’s property, such as stealing or intentionally damaging another persons things.
VERBAL
Verbal bullying can be a little more subtle but just as hurtful! Verbal bullying involves speaking to a person or about a person in a way that is unkind and hurtful to that person, this includes things like teasing, name calling, spreading rumours and whispering.
NON VERBAL
Non verbal bullying is another often subtle way that people act that is meant to upset, exclude or embarrass another person. Things like leaving a person out of a game or activity on purpose, making rude gestures such as poking out tongue, writing hate notes about a person that will be upsetting to that person are all examples of non verbal bullying.
Sourced from "Types of Bullying" - Headroom, http://www.headroom.net.au/Content.aspx?p=167
PHYSICAL
Physical bullying can be a little easier to spot, it involves physically hurting someone, so actions such as hitting, pinching, kicking. Physical bullying also involves interfering with another person’s property, such as stealing or intentionally damaging another persons things.
VERBAL
Verbal bullying can be a little more subtle but just as hurtful! Verbal bullying involves speaking to a person or about a person in a way that is unkind and hurtful to that person, this includes things like teasing, name calling, spreading rumours and whispering.
NON VERBAL
Non verbal bullying is another often subtle way that people act that is meant to upset, exclude or embarrass another person. Things like leaving a person out of a game or activity on purpose, making rude gestures such as poking out tongue, writing hate notes about a person that will be upsetting to that person are all examples of non verbal bullying.
Sourced from "Types of Bullying" - Headroom, http://www.headroom.net.au/Content.aspx?p=167
Friday, February 24, 2012
Weekly Quote
Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.
- Unknown
- Unknown
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Weekly Quote
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.
- Mark Twain
- Mark Twain
Ten Anti-Bullying Tips
Being bullied is never easy, and can make a child feel very powerless, alone, isolated, and fearful. The following are ten things your child can do to stop a bully. These tactics works for adults as well as children. No matter what the bullying situation, it is possible to stop a bully by trying the following ten tactics.
1. Learn to look or act indifferent. A lot of bullying comes as a result of the reactions you give bullies when they push your buttons. If they find that they can elicit a response from you, they will continue to bully you. So, learn to keep your emotions off your face, so that they give up and move on.
2. Ignore the bully if you can. Bullies usually taunt first, and bully second. So, ignore them if you can. If they instant message you, don’t respond. If they yell your name at school, just keep walking. If they come up to you in a classroom, just look the other way. Ignore, ignore, ignore. Bullies feed off of attention.
3. Stand up to them. This does not mean bully back, it just means that you shouldn’t put up with it. Let them know that you will tell on them, that you aren’t going to just take it, and that you aren’t afraid to get them in trouble. Usually bullies pick on kids who are too weak or too frightened to ever get them in trouble.
4. Avoid the bully. Sometimes bullies will bully out of opportunity more than anything else. So, avoid places, situations, times, and people that may lead to you being bullied. For example, don’t wander clear out by the fence during recess because a bully will have ample time to bully you without a playground monitor catching them.
5. Tell someone. There is a difference between tattling and telling. If you just tell to get them in trouble you are a tattle, but if you tell because they pose a danger to you or your friends, tell on them.
6. Be brave. You can’t show a bully that you are afraid of them, or the bullying will get worse. If you fear standing up to them, fear telling on them, and fear interaction with them, and let them know it, you empower them. So, instead, work on that mask of indifference, and avoid them when possible.
7. Work the buddy system. Bullies tend to single out kids who are already singled out, who are alone. It is far easier for one kid to pick on one kid, than one kid to pick on two. So, have a buddy when you are in situations where you might run into the bully.
8. Build self-esteem. Bullies can sense when someone has low esteem, and they prey on that. It is like they figure out what you are most afraid of, and self conscious of, and that is what they target.
9. Confront them. It is important that if the bully you, you call them out on it. Ask them what their problem is, why they are picking on you, and make sure they know you are the victim. Sometimes recognizing that they are making someone a victim will give them a wake up call, and get them to stop.
10. Report it every time. If it happens at school, tell the teacher, lunch lady, hall monitor, or whomever you need to to make sure it gets stopped. If it happens enough times, is reported often enough, etc. it will eventually stop.
Source: The anti-bullying blog; Ten Anti-Bullying Tips, viewed on the 16.2.2012. http://antibullyingblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/ten-anti-bullying-tips.html
1. Learn to look or act indifferent. A lot of bullying comes as a result of the reactions you give bullies when they push your buttons. If they find that they can elicit a response from you, they will continue to bully you. So, learn to keep your emotions off your face, so that they give up and move on.
2. Ignore the bully if you can. Bullies usually taunt first, and bully second. So, ignore them if you can. If they instant message you, don’t respond. If they yell your name at school, just keep walking. If they come up to you in a classroom, just look the other way. Ignore, ignore, ignore. Bullies feed off of attention.
3. Stand up to them. This does not mean bully back, it just means that you shouldn’t put up with it. Let them know that you will tell on them, that you aren’t going to just take it, and that you aren’t afraid to get them in trouble. Usually bullies pick on kids who are too weak or too frightened to ever get them in trouble.
4. Avoid the bully. Sometimes bullies will bully out of opportunity more than anything else. So, avoid places, situations, times, and people that may lead to you being bullied. For example, don’t wander clear out by the fence during recess because a bully will have ample time to bully you without a playground monitor catching them.
5. Tell someone. There is a difference between tattling and telling. If you just tell to get them in trouble you are a tattle, but if you tell because they pose a danger to you or your friends, tell on them.
6. Be brave. You can’t show a bully that you are afraid of them, or the bullying will get worse. If you fear standing up to them, fear telling on them, and fear interaction with them, and let them know it, you empower them. So, instead, work on that mask of indifference, and avoid them when possible.
7. Work the buddy system. Bullies tend to single out kids who are already singled out, who are alone. It is far easier for one kid to pick on one kid, than one kid to pick on two. So, have a buddy when you are in situations where you might run into the bully.
8. Build self-esteem. Bullies can sense when someone has low esteem, and they prey on that. It is like they figure out what you are most afraid of, and self conscious of, and that is what they target.
9. Confront them. It is important that if the bully you, you call them out on it. Ask them what their problem is, why they are picking on you, and make sure they know you are the victim. Sometimes recognizing that they are making someone a victim will give them a wake up call, and get them to stop.
10. Report it every time. If it happens at school, tell the teacher, lunch lady, hall monitor, or whomever you need to to make sure it gets stopped. If it happens enough times, is reported often enough, etc. it will eventually stop.
Source: The anti-bullying blog; Ten Anti-Bullying Tips, viewed on the 16.2.2012. http://antibullyingblog.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/ten-anti-bullying-tips.html
Upcoming lectures...
From anxiety & panic to courage, commitment, calmness and change...
Presenter: Pauline McKinnon, Psychotherapist & Author
Date: Tuesday 28th February, 7.30pm
Location: Horticultural Centre Function Room. 82 Jolimont Road, Forest Hill, VIC
School refusal: An information session for parents & teachers
Presenter: Dr Simon Kinsella, Clinical Psychologist
Date: Wednesday 7th March, 7.30pm
Location: Cardinia Public Hall. 2405 Ballarto Road, Cardinia, VICDon't Worry:
Treating generalised anxiety disorder
Presenter: Peter Kyriakoulis (Clinical Psychologist)
Date: Wednesday 21st March, 7.30pm
Location: Clayton Hall. 264 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC
How to transform distressed sleep to peaceful sleep
Presenter: Dr Donna Golding, Psychologist
Date: Thursday 19th April, 7.30pm
Location: Northcote Town Hall, First Floor, Room B. 189 High Street, Northcote, VIC
Presenter: Pauline McKinnon, Psychotherapist & Author
Date: Tuesday 28th February, 7.30pm
Location: Horticultural Centre Function Room. 82 Jolimont Road, Forest Hill, VIC
School refusal: An information session for parents & teachers
Presenter: Dr Simon Kinsella, Clinical Psychologist
Date: Wednesday 7th March, 7.30pm
Location: Cardinia Public Hall. 2405 Ballarto Road, Cardinia, VICDon't Worry:
Treating generalised anxiety disorder
Presenter: Peter Kyriakoulis (Clinical Psychologist)
Date: Wednesday 21st March, 7.30pm
Location: Clayton Hall. 264 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC
How to transform distressed sleep to peaceful sleep
Presenter: Dr Donna Golding, Psychologist
Date: Thursday 19th April, 7.30pm
Location: Northcote Town Hall, First Floor, Room B. 189 High Street, Northcote, VIC
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