Self-harm Among Adolescents

What is self-harm? Self-harm is deliberate damage of the body that is intentionally not life threatening, often repetitive in nature, and usually considered socially unacceptable. In addition, 80% of self-harm involves stabbing or cutting the skin with a sharp object (Greydanus, & Shek, 2009). In order to better understand self-harm, this issue must be clearly defined to avoid inaccurate and misleading terminology since self-harm covers a wide range of behaviors, some of which are directly related to suicide and some not. Self-harm (SH) or deliberate self-harm (DSH), including self-injury (SI) and self-poisoning (SP), is defined as the intentional direct injury of body tissue without suicidal intent (Laye-Gindhu, Klonsky, Muehlenkamp, J.J ). However, many acts of self-harm are an attempt to communicate with others to influence or secure help from them, or are a way of obtaining relief from difficult and otherwise overwhelming situation or emotional state (Hjelmeland et al., 2002). One way to better understand this behavior is to consider the psychological correlates of self-harm, reasons why adolescents self-harm, and the various treatments available.
Self-harm is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-1V-TR) (1994) as a symptom of borderline personality disorder. However, patients with other diagnoses may also self-harm, including those with depression, and anxiety disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, schizophrenia, and several other personality disorders. Self-harm is also apparent in high-functioning individuals who have no underlying clinical diagnosis. (Klonsky 2007.) There are many reasons why people self-harm; in a survey
Conducted of young people aged 16 through to 25, the most common reason was “to find relief from a terrible situation”.