Self-Harm Signs & Symptoms

Learn About Self-Harm

Self-harm, which is also sometimes referred to as self-injury and self-mutilation, is the act of purposefully inflicting physical pain onto oneself. Those who participate in these behaviors use a number of different methods of harming themselves, including but not limited to burning, cutting, picking at skin, biting, pulling one’s hair out, scratching, purposefully breaking one’s bones, and drinking harmful substances.

One misconception about self-harm is that those who harm themselves are doing so because they want to put an end to their lives or because they are looking to obtain attention from others. However, this is often not the case. In many cases, people who are participating in self-harm behaviors are doing so to relieve themselves from emotional turmoil. In other cases, these individuals engage in these behaviors to feel a sense of control over something when they feel like all other areas in their lives are out of control. Some might engage in self-harm to put a physical presence to the emotional pain they are going through.

This type of behavior can be highly addictive, and can be a tremendously difficult to overcome without professional help. Thankfully, several appropriate and effective methods of treatment are available to help those put their compulsive behaviors behind them and obtain the skills that they need to cope with their stress in a healthy manner.

Self-Harm Statistics

When individuals partake in self-harming behaviors, they often do so privately. As a result, the actual prevalence of how many people partake in self-harm is unknown. However, despite this, research shows that, based on self-reports, roughly one in every five females and one in every seven males partake in self-harm. Regarding adolescents, studies show that 10% of the youth population between ages 18 and 18 self-harm themselves, and one in every 200 young girls between the ages of 13 and 19 intentionally harms herself regularly.

Causes and Risk Factors for Self-Harm

There are a number of factors that can play a part in an individual’s likelihood of participating n self-harm, including:

Genetic: The act of self-harm and the behaviors tied to it are often linked to mental illness, and a number of mental illnesses are genetic. This means that, while self-harm is not something that someone can inherit from his or her family, the mental illnesses in which these symptoms can occur can be. Research has shown that individuals who have biological family members who battle with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder are more likely to struggle with such illnesses themselves, making them more likely to suffer with self-harming behaviors.

Environmental: There are a number of environmental factors that can make an individual more likely to participate in self-harming behaviors. This is even truer for those who do not have healthy coping skills that are needed to handle emotional upset and challenging situations. Experiencing stress at work, home, or school can, for some individuals, bring on so much upset that they begin self-harming themselves as a means of obtaining control over something. The same goes for those who have been sexually, physically, or emotionally abused, and even neglected. These individuals might turn to self-mutilation because it provides them with control over the pain they are feeling instead of allowing someone else to harm them.

Risk Factors:

• Possessing a low self-esteem
• Being female
• Lacking parental involvement
• Personal history of mental illness
• Lacking a healthy support network
• Family history of mental illness
• Lacking healthy coping skills
• Experiencing trauma
• Poor impulse control
• Being the victim of abuse and/or neglect

Signs and Symptoms of Self-Harm

When individuals harm themselves physically, the symptoms that might present themselves will vary based on the method that is being used to cause the harm, as well as how long the self-mutilation has been going on for. Because of the fact that self-harming behaviors often occur privately, it is not always simple to determine if an individual is harming himself or herself. However, if you are concerned that a loved one might be self-harming him or herself, it is important to look for the following symptoms:

Behavioral symptoms:

• Wearing long pants or long-sleeved shirts, even when it is hot outside, in order to hide injuries
• School refusal
• When asked about injuries, explaining them away as being accidents
• Frequent absences from work
• Purposely putting oneself in harm’s way
• No longer participating in activities that were once enjoyed
• Pulling out one’s hair
• Isolating oneself from friends and family

Physical symptoms:

• Wounds that do not seem to heal in a timely manner
• Broken bones
• Frequent cuts, scrapes, or scratches
• Burn marks on the skin
• Scarring
• Frequent bruising
• Patches of missing hair

Cognitive symptoms:

• Preoccupation with wanting to self-harm
• Concentration difficulties
• Memory disturbances
• Lack of impulse control
• Episodes of derealization (feeling as though the things around a person are not real)
• Episodes of depersonalization (when one’s thoughts and feelings seem unreal or as though he or she has lost his or her sense of identity)

Psychosocial symptoms:

• Excessive feelings of anxiety (especially when unable to self-harm)
• Depressed feelings
• Periods of emotional detachment
• Emotional instability
• Agitation and irritability
• Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness
• Mood instability
• Feelings of shame

Effects of Self-Harm

There are a variety of effects that can come from continued self-harming behaviors. The amounts of physical effects that can develop are immense and will vary based on the method that an individual is harming him or herself. Some of these possible physical side effects can include:

• Broken bones or improper healing of broken bones
• Tissue damage
• Permanent numbness or weakness in certain parts of the body
• Nerve damage
• Infected wounds
• Anemia
• Permanent scarring
• Hemorrhaging
• Organ failure

In addition to a number of physical effects, self-harm can lead to a number of other consequences, too, such as:

• Exacerbated symptoms of a present mental health disorder
• Decline in academic performance
• Experiencing the onset of additional mental health concerns
• Consistently declining self-esteem
• Decline in occupational performance
• Developing a problem with abusing drugs and/or alcohol
• Social withdrawal
• Ongoing feelings of shame, guilt, and disgust with oneself
• Relationship disturbances

Self-Harm and Co-Occurring Disorders

Those who participate in self-harming behaviors are most likely also struggling with another mental health condition. Some of the many disorders that those who engage in self-harm can experience can include:

• Borderline personality disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Substance use disorders
• Depressive disorders
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Anxiety disorders