Self Harm – Self Injury – Self Mutilation

BRIEF SUMMARY

Self-harm is a behavior and not an illness. People self-harm to cope with distress or to communicate that they are distressed. It includes self-poisoning and overdoses, minor injury, as well as potentially dangerous and life-threatening forms of injury. It does not mean body piercing, getting a tattoo, unusual sex, or the recreational use of drugs and alcohol. Some people who self-harm are suicidal at the time. Others report never feeling suicidal. . Examples of self-harm or self-injurious behaviors include cutting and Trichotillomania.

KEY POINTS

• Self-harm is a behavior that can occur in many different disorders and situations.
• Self-harm may be an attempt at suicide, although not necessarily so.

SHARED WISDOM

• Safety plan for a student who is self-harming: Suicide Prevention & Response: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for Indiana Schools www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/sebw/suicide-resource-guide-indiana-schools-4.pdf  It offers a few sample safety plans and has some safety plan apps you may want to explore too. (Brandie Oliver, bmoliver@butler.edu)

RESOURCES

• Sample Safety Plans:
  • Copy-of-safety-plan-tool
  • Safety-plan
  • self-harm-my-safety-plan
  • Individual_Student_Safety_Plan
• About self-injury from Cornell University
• What is Self-Injury? from Cornell University
• http://schoolcounselorsconnect.weebly.com/self-injury.html 
• Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale

CONTACT TOPIC MANAGER

This is a ‘do it ourselves’ web site. So if you would like to help, or have information or resources to share, please contact us today.

• Kelly on September 30, 2020 @ 13:40:55
• Kelly on September 18, 2019 @ 18:56:12
• Kelly on May 29, 2018 @ 20:37:46
• Kelly on April 19, 2018 @ 14:50:36
• Mary on April 18, 2018 @ 21:32:56
• Mary on April 18, 2018 @ 21:30:18
• Mary on April 18, 2018 @ 21:06:11
• Kelly on February 9, 2018 @ 21:10:30
• Heather on August 7, 2016 @ 23:05:19

This post was created by QRST ContentManager on August 7, 2016.