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What Is Self-Harm?
Self injury is the deliberate damaging of body tissue without conscious intent to commit suicide. It has been described as "self-mutilation," "self-harm,"
"auto-aggression," "deliberate self-harm," "delicate self- cutting," and a number of other terms. It has been classified into three types by psychiatrists Favazza & Rosenthal (1993).
Major self-mutilation: This is the most extreme and uncommon form of self-injury. It consists of infrequent acts in which a great deal of tissue is destroyed (castration, limb amputation, etc.) It often results in permanent disfigurement and is most often associated with psychotic or acute intoxicated states.
Stereotypic self-mutilation: This form of injury consists of fixed, often rhythmic patterns such as head banging (the most common), eyeball pressing, and finger or arm biting. It is most commonly seen in institutionalized mentally retarded people, but also occurs in autistic, psychotic, and schizophrenic people as well as those with Lech-Nyhan and Tourette Syndromes.
Superficial or moderate self-mutilation: This is described as "a common behavior" by many of the writers listed in the reference section and is the primary subject of this article. Although a significant indicator of emotional distress, this kind of injury is not highly lethal and results in relatively little tissue damage. It often occurs sporadically and repetitively. It sometimes develops an "addictive" quality and becomes an overwhelming preoccupation for some people. Cutting the skin with razor blades or broken glass is the most commonly seen method, and skin carving, burning, interference with wound healing, needle sticking, self-punching and scratching are among other examples.
This was taken from: Favazza, A. R. & Rosenthal, R. J. (1993) Diagnostic issues in self-mutilation Hospital and Community Psychiatry 44 (2), 134-140
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