Self-Injury Support Group

Self-harm is also known as self-injury (SI), self-inflicted violence (SIV), self-injurious behavior (SIB), and self-mutilation, although this last term has connotations that some people find worrisome, inaccurate, or offensive. When discussing self-harm with someone who engages in it, it is suggested to use the same terms and words which that person uses, e.g. "cutting". Self-harm is usually dissociated from an attempt at suicide; the person who self-harms is not usually seeking to end his or her own life, but is instead hoping to cope with or relieve unbearable emotional pressure or some kind of discomfort. [5] The term parasuicide is sometimes used interchangeably with self-harm, though technically this implies non-habitual acts and this can also be criticised for the implied suicidal intention, which may not be present.

A common form of self-harm involves making shallow cuts to the skin of the arms or legs, and this is casually referred to as "cutting". Less frequently, this behaviour may involve cutting other parts of the body, including the breasts and sexual organs. Other examples include punching; hitting and scratching; self-biting (hands, limbs, tongue, lip); picking wounds, ulceration or sutures; burning: cigarette burns; insertion damage (wire, pins, nails, pens etc.); ingestion damage (swallowing corrosive chemicals, batteries, pins etc.)

Some people also report self-poisoning as a form of repetitive self-harm with no suicidal intent.

Self-harm may be an indicator of depression and / or other psychological problems. It is worth noting that whilst self-injury is emphatically not a failed or half-hearted suicide attempt, there is a non-causal correlation between self-injury and suicide. Many make the mistake of believing that self-harm and suicide are directly connected in the sense that the former leads to the latter 100% of the time. This is not so. While self harming behaviour may seem alarming and appear dangerous, for most of the people engaged in self injurious behaviour, self-injury serves a purpose, allowing them some degree of control over their feelings. Therapy and skills training can be very useful for those who self-harm. The therapy module used will vary depending on the person's diagnosis and their individual needs. DBT, or Dialectical behavioral therapy can be very successful for those with a personality disorder, and could potentially be used for those with other mental illnesses who exhibit self-harm behavior. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is generally used to assist those with axis 1 diagnoses, such as depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Diagnosis and treatment of the causes is thought by many to be the best approach to self-harm; but in some cases, particularly in clients with a personality disorder, this is not very effective, which is why more clinicians are starting to take a DBT approach in order to reduce the behavior itself. A person who is injuring themselves may be advised to use coping skills, such as journaling or taking a walk, when they have the urge to harm themselves. They may also be told to avoid having the objects they use to harm themselves within easy reach. People who rely on habitual self-harm are sometimes psychiatrically hospitalised, based on their stability, and their ability and especially their willingness to get help.