Self Harm and Suicidal Tendency
Self-harm is when you injure yourself on purpose. Also known as nonsuicidal self-injury disorder, people who self-harm do things to hurt themselves but don’t want to cause death. They may injure themselves:
- To help them cope. Some people self-harm because it feels good to them, to prove they can tolerate pain or to relieve negative feelings.
- To direct emotion inward. Some people self-harm to punish or take out their anger on themselves.
- To communicate with others that they’re in distress or need support.
How do people with this disorder harm themselves?
Self-harm can take many forms. Some are more common than others, but all come with risks. Some of the most common self-harm behaviors include:
- Cutting with sharp objects to break through or injure skin.
- Burning with something hot like cigarettes, matches or heated sharp objects, or with chemicals like household cleaning products.
- Hitting with solid objects — like punching a wall — which can lead to impact injuries.
- Scratching/rubbing that leads to skin damage.
What are the symptoms of nonsuicidal self-injury?
If you self-harm, you may try to hide it from those around you. You might wear long sleeves or pants to cover up, even if it’s hot outside. Or you might tell stories to explain your injuries as an accident. Even so, other people might notice the following symptoms of self-injury:
- Scabs or scars in a particular shape or cluster.
- Multiple burns in the same size or shape.
- Frequent accidents that lead to new scratches, bite marks, bruising or swelling.
- Issues with impulse control, like they just can’t stop scratching an area of skin.
What causes someone to self-harm?
It’s hard to say exactly what causes a person to self-harm. But certain mental health conditions are linked to self-injury, including:
- Anxiety.
- Autism.
- Bipolar disorder.
- Borderline personality disorder.
- Depression.
- Eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa.
- Gender dysphoria.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Sleep disorders
How is it diagnosed?
Nonsuicidal self-injury disorder can be difficult to diagnose. People who self-harm tend to hide their injuries and avoid talking about them.
Healthcare providers don’t use a specific test to diagnose self-harm. Instead, they inspect your injuries, looking for patterns and scars from previous self-harm. They ask questions about your medical and social history. They also talk with you about what’s going on in your life. They look for things that might add stress, like financial problems, a recent death in the family, trouble at school, bullying or a break-up.