Mental Health & Self Injury

How Is Self-Injury Diagnosed?

If an individual shows signs of self-injury, a mental health professional with self-injury expertise should be consulted. That person will be able to make an evaluation and recommend a course of treatment. Self-injury can be a symptom of psychiatric illness including:

• Personality disorders (particularly borderline personality disorder)
• Bipolar disorder
• Major depression
• Anxiety disorders (particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder)
• Schizophrenia

How Is Self-Injury Treated?

Treatment for self-injury may include:

• Psychotherapy:  Counseling can be used to help a person stop engaging in self-injury.
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT is a group- and individually-based treatment program that helps people gain greater mastery over self-destructive impulses (such as self-injury), learn ways to better tolerate distress, and acquire new coping skills through techniques such as mindfulness.
• Post-traumatic stress therapies: These may be helpful for self-injurers who have a history of abuse or incest.
• Group therapy: Talking about your condition in a group setting to people who have similar problems may be helpful in decreasing the shame associated with self-harm, and in supporting healthy expression of emotions.
• Family therapy: This type of therapy addresses any history of family stress related to the behavior and can help family members learn to communicate more directly and openly with each other.
• Hypnosis and other self-relaxation techniques: These approaches are helpful in reducing the stress and tension that often precede incidents of self-injury.
• Medications: Antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication may be used to reduce the initial impulsive response to stress.

What Is the Outlook for People Who Engage in Self-Injury?

The prognosis for self-injurious behavior varies depending upon a person's emotional or psychological state. It is important to determine the factors that lead to an individual's self-injuring behaviors, and to identify and treat any pre-existing personality disorders.