Self-Harm

Self-harm or deliberate self-harm was previously referred to as self-mutilation. The act includes intentional self-injury or self-poisoning without suicide intent.
The most common form of self-harm is skin cutting but can also include burning, scratching, banging or hitting body parts, interfering with wound healing, hair pulling (Trichotillomania), ingestion of toxic substances or objects, and a wide variety of other self injurious activity. Behaviors associated with substance abuse and eating disorders are usually not considered self-harm because the lack of visible tissue damage however, a broader definition of self harm may also include individuals who inflict harm on their bodies by means of disordered eating.

Suicide is not the intention of self-harm however the self-harming behavior may be potentially life threatening. However, suicide is a risk with 40 to 60% of suicides having some form of previous self-harm behaviors.

Self-harm is considered a symptom of borderline personality disorder. However, patients with other diagnoses may also self-harm, including those with depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and several personality disorders. Self-harm is also apparent in high-functioning individuals who have no underlying clinical diagnosis.

Self harmers' do so to fulfill a number of different functions – as a coping mechanism for temporary relief of intense feelings such as anxiety, depression, stress, emotional numbness and a sense of failure or self-loathing. Self-harm has been associated with a history of trauma and abuse including emotional abuse, sexual abuse, drug dependence, eating disorders, or mental traits such as low self-esteem or perfectionism.

Self-harm is most common in adolescence and young adulthood, usually first appearing between the ages of 14 and 24. However, self-harm can occur at any age, including in the elderly population. Drug and alcohol abuse, dependency, and withdrawal is also associated with self-harm.

Self-harm is treated through various methods, both psychosocial and physical treatments.

Medication: Many people who self-harm suffer from moderate or severe clinical depression and therefore treatment with antidepressant drugs may often be effective in treating these patients.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Used to assist those with diagnoses, such as depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT): Can be very successful for those individuals exhibiting a personality disorder, and could potentially be used for those with other mental illnesses who exhibit self-harming behavior.

Other approaches involve avoidance techniques, which focus on keeping the individual occupied with other activities, or replacing the act of self-harm with safer methods that do not lead to permanent damage.


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