What is self harm?

Self harm, or non-suicidal self-injury, is provoking intentional damage to your body without wanting to kill yourself or taking part in a culturally accepted or religious process.

Definition

Not everyone has the same definition of what self harm is.

Selfharmerproblems uses the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury (ISSS) definition of self harm. It is the most recent and accurate definition created by experts in the field.

Self harm, or non-suicidal self-injury, is the deliberate, self-inflicted damage of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially or culturally sanctioned.1

What does this mean?

  • The harm caused is intentional. An accidental injury or a harmful behavior but where the damage is not the main goal is not considered self harm.
  • Self harm causes an immediate physical injury. This means behaviors that causes harm in the long run, like eating disorders or using drugs, are not considered self harm.
  • Self harm can be other things than cutting yourself: it could be punching, scratching or burning yourself.
  • Self harm is not a suicide attempt. People who self harm may also be suicidal, but a suicide attempt is not the same as self harm.
  • Activities like tattoos, piercings, surgery or body modifications that are part of cultural or religious rituals like circumcision are not considered self harm.

Sources for this article:

1https://itriples.org/category/about-self-injury/#what-is-self-injury International Society for the Study of Self Injury