Behaviors such as self-cutting and eating disorders have existed in human life since ancient times. Specifically, the behavior of starving oneself dates back to the Middle Ages and even to ancient times.
This problem, the obsession with having a Twiggy-like thin body and never leaving the gym, has especially become a cultural obsession and has almost turned into an epidemic over the last thirty years.
In the United States, it has been found that about 90% of the 80 million American women suffer from anorexia, bulimia, and other pathological eating disorders. In fact, food and weight-related concepts are present in the lives of 70% of American women, and it is also observed that the same percentage of these women have dieted at some point in their lives.
A study conducted on college students revealed that two-thirds of the students in the study were dieting, but only 20% of those who were dieting were found to be overweight.
In many studies, it has been found that 35% to 80% of individuals who harm themselves through cutting have eating disorders. Although this varies from study to study, 35% is a significant and noteworthy percentage. This shows that there is a connection between self-harming by cutting and eating disorders (bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa).
In research conducted by Armando Favazza and Karen Centorio, it was observed that at least half of the 240 participants were anorexic or bulimic. In one of Strong's studies, interviews with self-harming individuals revealed that about 80% of them reported issues like overeating and food restrictions.
Self-harming by cutting has been found in 25% to 75% of bulimic patients.
For example, Princess Diana, among famous figures, is an example of someone who both self-harmed and had an eating disorder. In the second half of the 18th century, Dr. Samuel Johnson, one of the leading figures in the field of literature, was bulimic throughout his life and physically harmed himself by cutting and hitting. Despite his literary achievements, he experienced serious anger attacks, harsh self-criticism, melancholic tendencies, and suicide attempts.
Looking at the biography of the writer, it is described that his mother’s strict attitude toward sexuality and pressure not to be sinful subjected him to spiritual torture as a child. Feelings of guilt about being sinful were perceived as torture in his childhood experiences.
With these thoughts and painful feelings, the writer harmed himself by cutting his legs. Additionally, he made modifications to his body in different ways.
In eating disorders, self-harm behavior has generally been accompanied, and the closeness between these two is not surprising.
Eating disorders and self-harm behaviors generally indicate the effects of childhood trauma, particularly sexual abuse.
These behaviors occur to reduce tension in the mental structure, decrease stress, gain control, address anger, loneliness, feelings of emptiness, attempts to control oneself, psychological management, and to prevent dissociation (disconnection) that often emerges after post-traumatic symptoms.
Eating disorders and self-harming by cutting are carried out to cope with various symptoms such as sudden, hidden, repetitive, ritualistic behaviors, and escaping feelings of guilt and shame. These behaviors are performed by the individual to establish bodily boundaries. Whether in self-harming by cutting or eating disorders, body image is crucial, and this body image is aimed at establishing bodily boundaries. The common expression shared by these cases is, ‘self-harming is for controlling myself.’
In research conducted by Armando Favazza, it was found that individuals with anorexia and bulimia nervosa often self-harmed, and in these two groups of eating disorders, this self-harming behavior was impulsive (sudden and without thought).
These self-harming behaviors include cutting, burning oneself, periodic alcohol and substance use, kleptomania (stealing), and repetitive self-harming behaviors.
It is very difficult to save individuals with eating disorder behaviors. Particularly, the treatment of severe anorexic cases is quite challenging.
Approximately 20% of severe and untreated eating disorder cases result in death. About half of these individuals die by suicide, suffer heart attacks, or die from other health-related issues.
Another common cause between self-harming by cutting and eating disorders is that the brain responds to external attacks with a numbing effect. Eating disorders and self-harm behavior create numbness in the individual.
When individuals recall these memories, they begin to experience fear, sadness, anxiety, and other emotions. Cutting and vomiting, or other behaviors, help postpone the recall of these memories through a numbing effect under the individual’s control. If the individual can verbalize these feelings in a safe and supportive environment, the trauma can be resolved.
If they cannot verbalize them, these emotions are suppressed, and due to the impact of these suppressed feelings, they turn into harmful symptoms like cutting, hitting themselves, carving their body, or burning themselves.
Individuals engage in these behaviors—leaving themselves hungry, cutting, and carving their bodies—as a way to temporarily create numbness by separating from their memories, and this is a psychological escape.
Sometimes, conversely, breaking the dissociative thinking system can also facilitate a return to reality.
The compulsive nature of eating disorders can also be related to biological underpinnings. Some experts have suggested that vomiting behavior and the use of laxatives in bulimia stimulate the body’s natural opiates, and as a result of these stimulations, biological addiction can develop. This is why the bulimic cycle develops.
From what is written here, it can be seen that the individual seeks protection from dissociation—that is, their desire to reconnect with reality.
There is little difference in terms of boundary setting between self-harming by cutting and the stabilization of a bulimic patient's body boundaries by vomiting. Losing the boundary means the erosion and disappearance of body boundaries, which is equivalent to melting. Ultimately, everything reflects the effort to avoid spiritual disintegration, to numb the pain caused by memories, and to create distance by cutting or starving oneself to preserve one’s existence.
Although we talk about the biological foundation in terms of repetition, the opiates provoked by vomiting and their secretion, biological addiction can be mentioned here as well, though we can also speak of the effects of spiritual and bodily numbness.
Source
Strong, Marilee A. "Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation And The Language of Pain." 1998
