Self-harm is a silent language.
There are different reasons that individuals engage in self-harm. These are often kept private due to experienced embarrassment and shame. For some, engaging in self-harm is a way to express, distract, and/or gain control of painful thoughts, feelings, or experiences. For others, it can be a form of punishment or a way to signal to others that they are in distress. Self-harm is particularly prevalent among teenagers and young adults.
Methods of self-injury include:
Self-harm is often a symptom of other mental health issues.
Some of the struggles that are reported by those who self-harm include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use issues, low self-esteem, and trauma.
Symptoms of self-harm can include:
Self-harm can co-occur with suicidal ideation. Although both of these issues involve psychological suffering they differ in regard to intent: persons who experience suicidal ideation desire a way to end their pain through suicide and persons who engage in self-injury are focused on coping with pain. Self-harm can be a way to avoid suicide. However, as self-harm incidents increase, so does the likelihood of suicide attempts.