Page "Self-harm" Paragraph 1

Self-harm is listed in the DSM-IV-TR as a symptom of borderline personality disorder.

However patients with other diagnoses may also self-harm, including those with depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, and several personality disorders.

Self-harm is also apparent in high-functioning individuals who have no underlying clinical diagnosis.

The motivations for self-harm vary and it may be used to fulfill a number of different functions.

These functions include self-harm being used as a coping mechanism which provides temporary relief of intense feelings such as anxiety, depression, stress, emotional numbness or a sense of failure or self-loathing and other mental traits including low self-esteem or perfectionism.

Self-harm is often associated with a history of trauma and abuse, including emotional and sexual abuse.

There are a number of different methods that can be used to treat self-harm and which concentrate on either treating the underlying causes or on treating the behaviour itself.

When self-harm is associated with depression, antidepressant drugs and treatments may be effective.

Other approaches involve avoidance techniques, which focus on keeping the individual occupied with other activities, or replacing the act of self-harm with safer methods that do not lead to permanent damage.