Mental Health and Self-Injury
What Are the Symptoms of Self-Injury?
The symptoms of self-injury include:
- Frequent cuts and burns that cannot be explained
- Self-punching or scratching
- Needle sticking
- Head banging
- Finger or arm biting
- Pulling out one's hair
- Picking at one's skin
Warning Signs of Self-Injury
Signs that an individual may be engaging in self-injury include:
- Wearing of pants and long sleeves in warm weather.
- The appearance of lighters, razors, or sharp objects that one would not expect among a person's belongings.
- Low self-esteem.
- Difficulty handling feelings.
- Relationship problems.
- Poor functioning at work, school, or home.
How Is Self-Injury Diagnosed?
If an individual shows signs of self-injury, a mental health professional with self-injury expertise should be consulted. That person will be able to make an evaluation and recommend a course of treatment. Self-injury can be a symptom of psychiatric illness including:
How Is Self-Injury Treated?
Treatment for self-injury may include:
Counseling can be used to help a person stop engaging in self-injury.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT is a group- and individually-based treatment program that helps people gain greater mastery over self-destructive impulses (such as self-injury), learn ways to better tolerate distress, and acquire new coping skills through techniques such as mindfulness.
Post-traumatic stress therapies:
These may be helpful for self-injurers who have a history of abuse or incest.
Group therapy: Talking about your condition in a group setting to people who have similar problems may be helpful in decreasing the shame associated with self-harm, and in supporting healthy expression of emotions.
Family therapy: This type of therapy addresses any history of family stress related to the behavior and can help family members learn to communicate more directly and openly with each other.
Hypnosis and other self-relaxation techniques:
These approaches are helpful in reducing the stress and tension that often precede incidents of self-injury.
Antidepressants. low-dose antipsychotics, or anti-anxiety medication may be used to reduce the initial impulsive response to stress.