Self-harm

Rare card · No. 21983

Self-harm is intentional behavior that causes harm to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own tissues, usually without suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-abuse, self-injury, and self-mutilation have been used for any self-harming behavior regardless of suicidal intent. Common forms of self-harm include damaging the skin with a sharp object or scratching with the fingernails, hitting, or burning. The exact bounds of self-harm are imprecise, but generally exclude tissue damage that occurs as an unintended side-effect of eating disorders or substance abuse, as well as more societally acceptable body modification, such as tattoos and piercings. Although self-harm is by definition non-suicidal, it may still be life-threatening. People who do self-harm are more likely to die by suicide, and 40–60% of people who die by suicide have previously self-harmed. Still, only a minority of those who self-harm are suicidal. The desire to self-harm is a common...

Read on Wikipedia · Image James Heilman, MD, CC BY-SA 4.0