Question:
Hi (:o} I’ve been a lurker and sometime participant for a few years. Need to ask if self inflicted pain/mutilation is a recognised symptom of PTSD. I’ve suffered for 10 years with no improvement , but recently I have been doing things which "accidentally" cause pain or damage to me. I allow my iguana to bite, knock hands, elbows, knees and so on. Am I going further into the depths of PTSD or is this just another symptom ? — Warren P. Jones [Always finish what you have starte
Response:
Hi Warren! > Need to ask if self inflicted pain/mutilation is a recognised symptom of > PTSD.
I don’t know if this is a ‘recognized symptom’ of PTSD, but I do know folks who self-mutilate who have PTSD. Some choose to hide our wounds inside, some of us choose to show our wounds on the outside. Maybe those of us who show our wounds on the outside have lost hope, I don’t know. YMMV Smile and there will be _something_ to smile about! Nancy
Response:
Warren P Jones (wp.jo…@virgin.net) wrote: : Hi (:o} : I’ve been a lurker and sometime participant for a few years. : Need to ask if self inflicted pain/mutilation is a recognised symptom of : PTSD. : I’ve suffered for 10 years with no improvement , but recently I have been : doing things which "accidentally" cause pain or damage to me. I allow my : iguana to bite, knock hands, elbows, knees and so on. : Am I going further into the depths of PTSD or is this just another symptom ? I went through a phase of self mutilation a few years back (shallow cutting of my arms). I think this is most common with depression, but also occurs in anxiety related disorders. Basically, what seems to happen is that the physical pain releases endorphins; which are body chemicals that relieve physical pain as well as emotional pain to some degree (possibly an indirect neurotransmitter mechanism). It does not neccessarily mean you’re PTSD is getting worse, just that you may be discovering another means of managing your emotion pain. Of course, this is not a healthy means of managing pain, so it’s best to stop the practice as soon as possible. If this remains a problem, please consult a good psychiatrist. I believe certain forms of therapy and/or medications have proven helpful in this regard. In my case, I eventually just realized that it caused enough anxiety about my physical health that it wasn’t worth doing anymore. Best Wishes, Arthur
Response:
Goto http://members.aol.com/asulli1982/home.htm/home.htm this should be of some help or at least a starting point. Joseph R. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
If you like this post and would like to receive updates from this blog, please subscribe our feed.