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Risk Factors for Self-Injury

Although self-injury is not a specific mental illness or disease by itself, it is a type of abnormal behavior commonly associated with Borderline Personality Disorder, and does have certain risk factors that can predispose someone to injure him/herself deliberately.

Physical injury distracts these people from the emotional pain, or pain from emotions they cannot control, or helps them feel a sense of control over what they feel is an otherwise uncontrollable situation. For those people who have feelings of emptiness or very little emotion, self-injury is a way to feel something (anything), even if it has to be physical pain. It also offers them an external way to express internal despair and distress.

Self-injury is sometimes associated with medical and psychiatric conditions such as eating disorders, personality disorders, depression, substance abuse, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, developmental disabilities, Autism, and mental retardation.

Although self-injury can affect anyone of any age, there are certain risk factors that may increase the chance of someone engaging in self-injury, including the following:

Age: Self-injury often starts in the preteen (pre-adolescent) or early teen (adolescent) years, when emotions are more explosive, and when children face increasing peer pressure, loneliness and conflicts with their parents and/or other authority figures.

Sex: Self-injury is more common in women than in men; however, that may be a false difference, because women are more likely than men to seek treatment.

Family history: There is some evidence to suggest that self-injury is more common in people that have a family history of suicide or self-injury.

Psychosocial factors: Many people who injure themselves report being sexually, physically or emotionally abused or neglected as children or adolescents. Social isolation and/or living alone also increases the risk for self-injury. Unstable living conditions, such as divorce and unemployment, may also be factors.

Certain mental disorders: Self-injury is also commonly associated with other mental disorders, including Borderline Personality Disorder other personality disorders, depression, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse disorders, and eating disorders. Many of these disorders often occur together. People who injure themselves are more likely to be impulsive and have poor problem-solving skills.

Alcohol or substance abuse/misuse: People who injure themselves often do so while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

About the Author

David Oliver is the founder of BorderlineCentral.com a one stop source of information on how to cope and deal with borderline personality disorder.

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