Self Harm Treatment, Warning Signs, Causes, & Diagnosis

What is Self Harm?

Self-harm or self-injury means hurting yourself on purpose. It is the act of intentionally injuring oneself, most often through cutting. Self harm is not always a suicide attempt. Furthermore, it is not just for attention. It’s important to know that self harm treatment is available for anyone who self-harms or thinks about self-harm,

Rather, this type of self-injury is a harmful way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger, and frustration. In any event, it’s important to know that self-harm treatment is available for anyone who suffers from this condition.

The US National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health [1] says Self Harm cases can be difficult to adequately define, understand, and treat. However, self-harm diagnosis is not uncommonly encountered in clinical practice. In general, self-harm or self-mutilation may be defined as any self-directed, repetitive behavior that causes physical injury.

There are many ways to self-harm. Likewise, self-harming can be an emotional or mental response. Such as the inability to function after losing a loved one. A person who self-harms might injure themselves by banging their head against a wall or hurting themselves with an object. In addition self-harming behaviors also include starving oneself and avoiding contact with others, like family members and friends.

The most common type of self-harm involves cutting or scratching the skin. Similarly, the most common locations for self-harm are on the arms, legs, or abdomen. Some people cut themselves in a way that requires medical attention and Self-harm treatment. Self-harm can also be a sign of an underlying issue like depression, anxiety, or a history of abuse. Moreover, people who self-harm may feel like they don’t deserve any help and try to hide what they do from others.

Symptoms of Self-Harm

• Cutting yourself
• Poisoning yourself
• Over-eating or under-eating
• Exercising excessively
• Biting yourself
• Picking or scratching at your skin
• Burning your skin
• Inserting objects into your body
• Hitting yourself or walls
• Misusing alcohol, prescription and recreational drugs
• Pulling your hair
• Having unsafe sex
• Getting into fights where you know you will get hurt.

After self-harming, you may feel a short-term sense of release. However, the cause of your distress will not easily go away. Self-harm can also bring up very difficult emotions. In return, it could make you feel worse.

Is Self Harm a Sign of Suicide?

Self-harm, also called nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), is not the same thing as a suicide attempt. Suicide is a way to end your life. Self-injury is a coping strategy. However, individuals who self-injure are nine times more likely to attempt suicide. If your loved one self-harms, it doesn’t mean they’re going to commit suicide. But they should be assessed for what mental health professionals call suicidality or the risk of suicide.

What is Self-Embedding?

Self-embedding is an extreme form of self-harm in which a person inserts objects into their skin, such as staples or needles. They may leave the object there permanently or for a set period. Sometimes the objects are left under the skin because the person who inserted them cannot get them back out, but other times they are deliberately left under the skin. Self-embedding is uncommon but is more likely to occur among young women.

What is Cutting?

Cutting is the most common form of deliberate self-harm and may co-occur with other self-injurious behaviors such as hair-pulling, skin-burning, and anorexia. Individuals who cut themselves may cut their skin with pointed metal, razors, or other sharp objects. Cutting is not typically an attempt at suicide or long-term self-harm. Rather, it is an immediate reaction to stress that provides a release for the person who cuts. However, chronic cutting can lead to serious health problems such as disease transmission, infection, and blood loss. Individuals who cut themselves may accidentally sever a vein or artery, which can be life-threatening.

What To Do When Someone Self Harms?

Keep in mind that self harm might be part of a larger condition and there may be additional signs of emotional distress. They might make statements that sound worthless or hopeless, have poor impulse control, or have difficulty getting along with others.

If you’re worried a loved one might be hurting themself, ask them how they’re doing and be prepared to listen to the answer, even if it makes you uncomfortable. This may be a hard subject to understand. One of the best things is to tell them that while you may not fully understand, you’ll be there to help. Don’t dismiss emotions or try to turn them into a joke.

Gently encourage someone to get treatment for self harm by stating that self-harm isn’t uncommon and that doctors and therapists can help. If possible, offer to help find treatment for self harming. But don’t go on the offensive and don’t try to make the person promise to stop, as it takes more than willpower to quit.

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5%

More than 5% of people who have been seen at a hospital after self-harm will have committed suicide within 9 years.

Source: NCBI

45%

45% of people use cutting as their method of self-injury

Source: NCBI

Causes of Self Harm

According to Psychiatric Times [2], self-harm reflects underlying hopelessness and low self-esteem. All patients who exhibit recent or chronic self-harming behaviors need a careful and meticulous evaluation. This is to determine the best-individualized self harm treatment strategies.

A difficult experience can cause someone to self-harm. Common reasons include: 

• Pressures at school or work 
• Bullying 
• Money worries 
• Sexual, physical, or emotional abuse 
• Bereavement 
• Homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia (see LGBTIQ+ mental health) 
• Breakdown of a relationship 
• Loss of a job 
• An illness or health problem 
• Low self-esteem 
• An increase in stress 
• Difficult feelings, such as depression, anxiety, anger, or numbness

Self Harm Treatment and Co-Occurring Disorders

There is substantive theoretical literature suggesting that NSSI Non-Suicidal Self-Injury or self-harm can be understood as a behavioral addiction. However, very few empirical studies testing this compelling hypothesis exist, [3] according to Science Direct. Self-harm, like drug and alcohol addiction, can be addictive in and of itself.  Therefore, making it hard, if not impossible, to completely stop on your own. Without treatment that targets the root issues of both primary and secondary problems, the struggles of primary self-harm disorder and secondary addiction disorder could likely lead to death.

Stimulants can promote self-harm both during and after use. Examples are stimulant drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription medications for ADHD. However, the process may be different in people who suffer from addiction. Drugs or alcohol may be used to cover the sense of guilt of self-harming. Thus, they may be used as an additional poor coping mechanism to escape from emotions. Also, they may be used as their own form of self-harm.

Several different kinds of therapy can help in self-harm treatment, depending on the diagnosis.

• Psychodynamic therapy focuses on exploring past experiences and emotions
• Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on recognizing negative thought patterns and increasing coping skills
• Dialectical behavioral therapy can help a person learn positive coping methods

Studies point out that psychiatric patients who self-harmed while abusing substances had depressed levels of consciousness. Many of these patients had a history of self-harm, and some intended to eventually die from their self-inflicted injuries. Untreated depression or mental illnesses lead to these unhealthy coping mechanisms or worse— suicide. Self-harm can contribute to a cycle of endless despair. We Level Up FL mental health center offers free self-harm treatment assessment to help you determine suitability. Call us to learn more.