Bodies Under Siege: Self Mutilation and Body Modification in Culture and Psychiatry

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone, but a good book nonetheless
Review: This book is not strictly for folks who have self-injury related issues & may want insight into their disorder. I saw this piece as more of a tool for people who are curious & don't know much about self-harm & body modification. This book can be somewhat graphic in detail so if you're a bit on the sqeamish side you may want to pass.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable information for understanding self-injury
Review: This is the second edition of Bodies under Siege, and in it Favazza improves an excellent survey of self-mutilation by adding extensive material on classification and treatment of self-injurious behavior. The original edition was probably the first important book on this topic. Part one is a fascinating sociological overview of mutilative behavior in society and religion, placing it in context. Favazza explores the links between cannibalism, self-injury, and eating disorders in this section. You can understand SI without knowing this information, but the context is useful. In part two, he looks at specific clinical cases of self-mutilation. Having read this section, I was able to much more easily understand the distinctions between types of self-injury that Favazza draws in part three. The epilogue, combined with the information in part three, helped me to understand where the line between self-injury and ornamental body modification lies. Those who self-injure will probably be most interested in part three, where Favazza explores the types of pathological self-injury and discusses psychiatric classifications and treatment. Bodies under Siege is not meant as a self-help book. It will, however, give you insight into the origins of self-injury and into the ways in which the psychiatric profession views this behavior (and how those views are slowly changing), as well as suggesting directions for those seeking treatment.

Rating:
Summary: Favazza is cheaper than therapy...
Review: While this book may not work quite as well as therapy, it is helpful as a resource for sufferers and their friends and family. A very good friend of mine is a self mutilator, and we scour the markets looking for good books on the subject. Favazza's book tend to be more for professionals in the fields of medicine, but a little knowledge can go a long way. The extensive research is a bit wordy, but fascinating. Skimming can pick out the best parts. It gives a good basis for comparison, while not locking a sufferer into a concrete explanation that could alienate someone looking for help. The body modification chapter was added for later editions, and is not quite as together as the rest of the book, but still interesting. Bodies Under Siege is more useful than many of its contemporaries that package self mutilation as a phase for young people. It provides an enormous range of research and information and reasons that make it so different from Cutting, which alienates readers from outside it's circle. The mass of cases help a sufferer identify and ease their alienation from others. Overall, one of the best books on cutting I've read.

Rating:
Summary: Favazza is cheaper than therapy...
Review: While this book may not work quite as well as therapy, it is helpful as a resource for sufferers and their friends and family. A very good friend of mine is a self mutilator, and we scour the markets looking for good books on the subject. Favazza's book tend to be more for professionals in the fields of medicine, but a little knowledge can go a long way. The extensive research is a bit wordy, but fascinating. Skimming can pick out the best parts. It gives a good basis for comparison, while not locking a sufferer into a concrete explanation that could alienate someone looking for help. The body modification chapter was added for later editions, and is not quite as together as the rest of the book, but still interesting. Bodies Under Siege is more useful than many of its contemporaries that package self mutilation as a phase for young people. It provides an enormous range of research and information and reasons that make it so different from Cutting, which alienates readers from outside it's circle. The mass of cases help a sufferer identify and ease their alienation from others. Overall, one of the best books on cutting I've read.