Self-Harm in Older Adults: Can Counseling Help?

Self-harm is often only thought of in conjunction with teens and young women. Not only is this not true, it can be dangerous and cause you to miss important warning signs. Anyone can engage in self-harm, regardless of age or gender. Older adults often engage in self-harm, however, they may be reluctant to ask for help due to shame. Self-harm in older adults is largely underreported.

Early intervention is of utmost importance when it comes to self-harm. If this unhealthy behavior is used as a means of coping it can be difficult to stop on your own. Self-injury tends to create greater damage among older adults because of their delicate health.

If you are self-harming, counseling can help. Knowledge can be empowering as it helps you understand issues surrounding self-injury. Therapy can help you to identify triggers as well as develop healthier ways to cope.

Understanding Self-Harm in Seniors

Self-harm has a universal meaning. Psychology Today describes it as “… the act of deliberately inflicting pain and damage to your own body and can include cutting, burning, scratching, and other forms of injury.” The process entails purposefully hurting yourself. It is generally thought that those who injure themselves on purpose do not have any intention of ending their lives, but it is a grim possibility, particularly among older adults. According to AJGP, “Self-harm and suicide are closely related in older people, with common risk factors such as depression, pain and social isolation.”

It is common for older adults to inflict self-harm in areas of the body that can easily be covered, like wrists, arms and legs. Cutting is most common. Other forms of self harm can include banging the head repeatedly, burning the skin or doing anything that can cause pain and injury. Some report that they will self-harm to purge negative emotions and to feel more balanced. This often happens when they become frustrated or stressed out.

Treating this condition can be more challenging in seniors compared to those who are younger because the behavior may have been present since childhood. Causing pain and injury to the body can be an unhealthy coping mechanism used to survive challenges. Though death may not be an intention, there is great danger in inflicting self-harm. This is because physical damage can lead to a number of medical issues which can have lethal or irreversible effects.

When to Worry About Your Self-harm

If you are self-harming, there is a good chance you are not aware that it can lead to grievous consequences. There is a strong likelihood that you don’t want to talk about it. You also may not want to seek help. If you think that it is something helping you on a day to day basis, you could be underestimating the risks of self-harm. For one, self-harm in older adult is highly related to depression.

Self-harm can become addicting. When you are experiencing pain, your brain is stimulated to secrete the hormone dopamine to compensate for the discomfort, distracting you from the pain in the process. Considering the feeling that you have each time dopamine is released, you can be motivated to do it again and again, until it becomes a habit. You could be addicted to the pain, anticipating the feelings of each dopamine boost. Of course, this is temporary! As the level of dopamine wanes, you are left with unresolved issues and a myriad of scars.

It is more productive to seek professional treatment that addresses the underlying issues. Don’t wait until things feel unmanageable to seek help.

Signs that self-harm has become serious can include;

• You can not go out of the house or face people without donning long-sleeved or long pants/dresses intended to cover your wounds or scars
• You hurt yourself with frequency, so that it is difficult to function without the pain
• You do not want others to go inside your private spaces – bedroom and bathroom – where there are traces of your self-harm; like bloodied cutting tools and tissues
• You are emotionally burdened, so that you can hardly eat or sleep
• You are withdrawing from your social life and avoiding activities that would expose your wounds or scars

Seek Counseling Now

Becoming a senior has its advantages, but it can also usher in many physical and emotional health issues and challenges. Coming to terms with self-harm as an older adult is not easy. You aren’t alone, therapy and medication management can help.

Carolina Counseling Services in Cameron, NC contracts with caring licensed therapists and prescribers. Don’t wait until your self-harm becomes unmanageable, call now to get the support you need and deserve!

Providers are In Network with most major insurances including Aetna, Aetna State Health Plan, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Tricare and many more!