SHOCKING PHOTOS: Tila Tequila Cuts Are Self-Inflicted, Says Psychiatrist
Jun. 16 2010, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
Shocking photos of Tila Tequila have surfaced that show disturbing marks and scars all over her left arm. RadarOnline.com talked with a medical expert who says the marks are scars and they are self-inflicted.
“These are self-mutilation scars,” Dr. Joseph Haraszati, who has not treated Tila, told RadarOnline.com after looking at the photos. “It looks like there are some burn marks too. Cutting and burning are a common combination among women.”
As RadarOnline.com reported, Tila said she woke up 10 days ago to find her arm gushing with blood; raising reports of a suicide attempt that Tila blamed on her alter ego “Jane.” Dr. Haraszati, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Southern California, saw one mark that could be the sign of an attempted suicide.
“The self cutting itself is not a suicidal act,” he told RadarOnline.com. “However, there is one line close to her wrist that goes directly across, which is often a sign of a suicide attempt. That one looks fairly deep whereas the others look more superficial.
“Most of the scars look old. She’s made fairly strong cuts so this type of healing typically takes four to six weeks,” he explained. “Some look more recent than others, but I would say most of these scars are at least a month old.”
Sadly, Dr. Haraszati says Tila must be suffering from a great deal of emotional distress if she is cutting. “Most of the time cutting is a way to relieve emotional pain,” he explained. “A lot of times it’s a way for the person to feel alive because they feel emotionally numb.
“It looks like she uses some sort of blunt object, not a knife, but it still does quite a bit of harm,” Dr. Haraszati continued. “It implies that she’s been doing this for quite some time because cutters tend to progress from dull to sharper objects.”