Self-injury, also called self-harm, is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. It's typically not meant as a suicide attempt. Rather, self-injury is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration.
While self-injury may bring a momentary sense of calm and a release of tension, it's usually followed by guilt and shame and the return of painful emotions. And with self-injury comes the possibility of more serious and even fatal self-aggressive actions.
Because self-injury is often done impulsively, it can be considered an impulse-control behavior problem. Self-injury may be linked to a variety of mental disorders, such as depression, eating disorders and borderline personality disorder.
Signs and symptoms may include:
-Scars, such as from burns or cuts
-Fresh cuts, scratches, bruises or other wounds
-Broken bones
-Keeping sharp objects on hand
-Wearing long sleeves or long pants, even in hot weather
-Claiming to have frequent accidents or mishaps
-Spending a great deal of time alone
-Pervasive difficulties in interpersonal relationships
-Persistent questions about personal identity, such as "Who am I?" "What am I doing here?"
-Behavioral and emotional instability, impulsivity and unpredictability
-Statements of helplessness, hopelessness or worthlessness