Self Injury
Definition
intentional self harm often done with suicidal undertone The most common form of self harm is skin cutting but self-harm also covers a wide range of behaviors including, but not limited to, burning, scratching, banging or hitting body parts, interfering with wound healing, hair-pulling and the ingestion of toxic substances Behaviours associated with Substance abuse and eating disorders are usually not considered self-harm because the resulting tissue damage is ordinarily an unintentional side effect.
How is it Diagnosed
The individual has, on 5 or more days, engaged in intentional self-inflicted damage to the surface of his or her body, of a sort likely to induce bleeding or bruising or pain for purposes not socially sanctioned like piercing or tattoos but performed with the expectation that the injury will lead to only minor or moderate physical harm.
Symptoms
Eighty percent of self-harm involves stabbing or cutting the skin with a sharp object. However, the number of self-harm methods are only limited by an individual's inventiveness and their determination to harm themself this includes, but is not limited to Burning, Self Poisining, Alcohol abuse. The locations of self-harm are often areas of the body that are easily hidden and concealed from the detection of others.
Treatment
There is considerable uncertainty about which forms of treatments of patients who harm themselves are most effective and as such further clinical studies are required. Psychiatric and Personality Disorders are common in individuals who self-harm and as a result self-harm may be an indicator of depression and/or other psychological problems. Many people who self-harm suffer from moderate or severe clinical depression and therefore treatment with Anti depressant drugs may often be effective in treating these patients.
Statistics
Ninth-grade girls seem most at risk, as they engage in self injury at 3 times the rate of boys. Behavioral methods of self injury also vary by grade and gender.