1. Understanding Self-Harm
“Skin has a good memory. Skin is like the ground we walk on every day; you can read a whole history in it if you know how to look.”
- Kettlewell, 1999
MERVE AĞAN

2. OUTLINE What is self- harm behavior? Why do people do it?
Common forms
Prevalence
Why do people do it?
How can one stop ?
References

3. What is self- harm behavior?
Any behavior where the intent is to deliberately hurt oneself without suicidal intent.
The methods of it : self- injury and self- poisoning
The location of self- harm are often areas of the body that are easily hidden and concealed from the detection of others.

4. Forms of self- harm Cutting or burning Taking overdoses
Hitting oneself, walls, or hard objects
Pulling hair or picking skin
Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)
Excoriation (Skin-Picking Disorder )
Self-strangulation

5. Prevalence Common among young people
Age of onset between
Hard to know true prevalence as it’s very secretive
But, it is known that more common in females than males- may be due to ;
More females report whereas males likely underreport
Jacobson, CM et al. (2007) The Epidemiology and Phenomenology of Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior Among
Adolescents: A Critical Review of the Literature, Archives of Suicide Research, 11: 2, 129 — 147

6. Prevalence
conducted a systematic review of current ( ) empirical studies reporting on the prevalence of NSSI and DSH in adolescent samples across the globe
Average Prevalence of Self- harm (NSSI and DSH) by Year of Study
Muehlenkamp et al. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health 2012 6:10   doi: /

7. Causes of self- harm Biological factors Environmental factors
Neurotransmitters
Environmental factors
Psychological factors
False cognitive beliefs
Mental disorders

8. Biological Factors (Neurotransmitters)
Serotonin Model (Duffy, D. F., 2009)
Deficient in normal levels of serotonin which cause irritability may result in aggressive and impulsive behavior including self-injury

9. Biological Factors (Neurotransmitters)
Endorphin Model
Low endorphin level in individuals with self-harm
During self- harm the brain release endorphins
Whose effect are similar to morphine
Lead to;
Decreasing the sensation of the pain
Cause pleasant physical sensation ‘‘ RUSH’’
Trigger the dopamine reward pathway suggesting a biological cause for “addictive patterns”

10. Environmental factors
Individuals who experienced traumatic abuse
most notably childhood sexual abuse or rape 
Family relationship difficulties
Peer relationship break up / difficulties
SH behavior in other students / the media
Exam pressure
Time of change (new school, parents split etc.)
Receive attention from other people

11. Psychological factors

12. False cognitive beliefs
For example : feeling of loss of control

13. False cognitive beliefs (Cont’d)
For example: cope with emotion

14. False cognitive beliefs (Cont’d)
For example : feeling of punishment

15. Mental disorders
People diagnosed as having certain types of mental disorder are much more likely to self- harm
Such mental disorders :
Depression
Bipolar
Borderline personality disorder
Eating Disorder
Substance abuse
PTSD
Anxiety disorder

16. Mental disorders (Cont’d)
In one survey of a sample of the British population, people with current symptoms of a mental disorder were up to 20 times more likely to report having harmed themselves in the past (Meltzer et al., 2002)
Meltzer, H., Lader, D., Corbin, T., et al. (2002a) Non-Fatal Suicidal Behaviour Among Adults aged16 to 74 in Great Britain. London: The Stationery Office

17. Different interventions for stopping
Accept reality and find ways to make the present moment more tolerable
Identify feelings and talk them out rather than acting on them
Distract themselves from feelings of self- harm (for example: counting to ten, waiting 15 minutes, saying ‘‘ NO’’ or ‘‘ STOP’’
Develop better social skills
Hospitalization

18. REFERENCES
Duffy, D. F. (2009). Self- injury. Retrieved from: Knigge,J. Self injury for teachers Retrieved frrom: Meltzer, H., Lader, D., Corbin, T., et al. (2002) Non-Fatal Suicidal Behaviour Among Adults aged 16 to 74 in Great Britain. London: The Stationery Office Muehlenkamp et al. (2012). International prevalence of adolescent non-suicidal self-injury and deliberate self-harm. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health,6 :10. Riverwiew Behavioral Health. Self- harm causes, symptoms and signs. Retrieved from: Jacobson, CM et al. (2007) The Epidemiology and Phenomenology of Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior Among Adolescents: A Critical Review of the Literature, Archives of Suicide Research, 11: 2, 129 — 147.