Self-harm or self-injury is a dangerous pattern of behavior, also known as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This condition may be difficult for some people to understand, as they don’t see why anyone would want to harm themselves. With self-harm, the intention is not to die but rather to cope with some kind of emotional distress.

Self-harm is a behavior that is related to many different mental health concerns. Teens may engage in self-harm due to depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), amongst others.

Self-injury may be terrifying for the people involved, and it cannot be dealt with appropriately by anyone other than a mental health facilities for teens.

While many know that self-injury can result from depression or anxiety, often, people don’t realize that it can also be associated with OCD. In this article, we will explore self-harm OCD.

Continue reading to learn more about this condition and understand how you can help the teen in your life if they’re engaging in self-harm.

What Are the Common Types of Self-Harm?

First, it’s important to understand how self-harm may manifest. According to an article published by the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), self-harm in adolescents ranges from 6.4% to 14.8% in boys and from 17.7% to 30.8% in girls.

Because self-harm is so prevalent, it’s not surprising to learn that there are many different ways that teens may invoke injury upon themselves. Anytime a teen is engaging in self-harm, it is cause for serious concern.

While there are seemingly endless ways that teens may harm themselves, some are more common than others. Some of the ways teens express self-harm include:

– Burning themselves
– Cutting themselves with a razor blade or other sharp object
– Giving themselves bruises (punching or hitting)
– Pulling out their hair
– Poisoning themselves (with alcohol, drugs, or poisonous substances)
– Starving themselves (anorexia) or purging (bulimia)

Why Do Teens Self-Harm?

There are many reasons why teens may self-harm, all of which are related to deeper issues. Teens experiencing mental health crises may engage in self-harm and may keep it a secret from those around them.

Thus, if your teen is experiencing mental health issues, it’s important to look out for signs of self-harm.

If your teen is wearing long sleeves and pants in the warm weather, they may be attempting to hide some evidence of self-harm.

Additionally, if your teen appears very thin but is wearing oversized clothing, they may have engaged in self-harm in the form of anorexia or bulimia.

While there are numerous reasons why your teen may be engaging in self-harm, some of them are more prominent than others…
 
Continue reading the article and learn more about OCD on Life Is An Episode website.