TOPIC

Self-Harm



Self-harm describes any act where a person deliberately and intentionally injures themselves, usually without suicidal intent. It can take many forms, such as cutting, burning, punching, or bruising. Sometimes this is an attempt to get help or attention, sometimes an effort to feel something—anything—instead of being dissociated, and sometimes people self-harm to gain a sense of power or self-control. With attention and guidance, it is possible to replace these harmful habits and desires with much more effective coping strategies.

If you or someone you know is in immediate need of support, please seek professional help. If you are in crisis, here are some immediate free resources.

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07:05

Demi Lovato Talks About Cutting Herself

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Cutting: Understanding and Overcoming Self-Mutilation

Nearly a decade ago, Cutting boldly addressed a traumatic psychological disorder now affecting as many as two million Americans and one in fifty adolescents.

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Self-Injury/Cutting

Nonsuicidal self-injury, often simply called self-injury, is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. It's typically not meant as a suicide attempt.

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FindCenterIf someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.

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02:40

Suicidal or Self Harm

There is effective treatment available for all of the causes of suicidal thoughts. Each person with suicidal thoughts or engaging in self-harm has unique characteristics and should be thoroughly assessed.

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Understanding and Responding to Self-Harm—The One Stop Guide: Practical Advice for Anybody Affected by Self-Harm

Self-harm is increasingly prevalent in our society. But few of us understand why, or know what to do to help ourselves, friends or family in such situations. It can be very isolating.

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Understanding Why People Cut Themselves, Hide It, and How to Help

When someone harms themselves by cutting, burning, punching, or engaging in other forms of self-injury (without intending for death to be an end goal), they’re engaging in what’s known as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI).

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FindCenterReject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.

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02:15

Cutting and Self-Injurious Behaviors

Gary Regan, LICSW, clinical director of Bradley Hospital’s adolescent and CADD partial programs and SafeQuest, discusses how parents can recognize the signs of self-harm in children and teens and offers tips on what to do if a child is cutting.

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Bodies under Siege: Self-mutilation, Nonsuicidal Self-injury, and Body Modification in Culture and Psychiatry

Armando Favazza’s pioneering work identified a wide range of forces, many of them cultural and societal, that compel or impel people to mutilate themselves. This new edition examines the explosive growth in the incidence of self-injurious behaviors and body modification practices.

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WHAT MIGHT HELP

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The information offered here is not a substitute for professional advice. Please proceed with care and caution.

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