The phenomenon of “barcode,” or deliberately harming oneself using a sharp object to cut themselves in parallel lines, resembling the barcode on a product, is gaining attention among experts.
Feelings of fear, anxiety, and sadness can potentially lead someone to channel their pain into this behavior. This behavior is quite concerning, considering the number of young people and adults with poor mental health and not receiving immediate attention.
The Center for Public Mental Health (CPMH) at the UGM Faculty of Psychology opened a discussion about this specific issue in the KULON series “Barcoding: Solutive or Maladaptive” on Tuesday (September 26).
“Barcoding falls under the category of NSSI (nonsuicidal self-injury), but it can gradually migrate to SSI (suicidal self-injury). This is something to be vigilant about because it is one of the symptoms of mental illness,” said CPMH researcher Nurul Kusuma Hidayati.
“In the future, this can be very dangerous. Even though we should not say that NSSI tends to lead to suicide, the facts are different.”
NSSI behaviors, although seen as a solution to the problems faced, are manipulative. NSSI can make someone accustomed to instant thought patterns in resolving conflicts.
Five stages of impact occur after self-injury, all forming a recurring cycle. When someone faces conflict and pressure and chooses NSSI behavior as a solution, negative thoughts arise after performing it.
Shame, anxiety, and anger are examples of negative emotions that often develop in self-injury cases. Each stage indicates increased emotions, ultimately forming a thought pattern. Eventually, a person may feel unable to escape from the problem.
Data reveals that as many as 36.9% of Indonesians have intentionally self-harmed. Most of this number is dominated by young people aged 18-24, accounting for 45%.
Unfortunately, most of them do not have the opportunity to receive proper treatment, turning barcode behavior into maladaptive behavior.
“Research has found that the more time teenagers spend on social media, the more likely they are to engage in self-harm behavior,” said another researcher at the center, Wirdatul Anisa.
“Suppose teenagers already have emotional instability, difficulty managing their emotions, and difficulty managing stress when interacting on social media. In that case, they have the greatest potential to do this.”
Moreover, when someone has a tendency for self-injury and sees that many others are doing it, the thought that this behavior is normal can arise. In some cases, individuals imitate each other and develop self-injury methods from exposure to social media.
“We see data on Instagram, for example. There are many posts involving hashtags related to NSSI and self-harm, which then become trends,” added Anisa.
“Many stories promote such behavior in other applications, such as online novels. Especially on Twitter, where many people comment and unknowingly promote it.”
Wirdatul Anisa explained that self-injury behavior requires quick and appropriate intervention before it leads to SSI behavior. In addition to visiting a psychologist for counseling, help can be obtained through self-reflection or with the assistance of others.
People must get to know and understand themselves and divert their desire to harm themselves to manage their emotions. Activities can include journaling, meditation, engaging in enjoyable activities, or contacting relatives and friends.
Most importantly, a person must have a strong desire to break free from the cycle of self-injury.
Author: Tasya