RYL Forums - View Single Post - One in six teens inflict self-harm *Possibly Triggering*

~invisible~girl~ · 06-02-2008, 01:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Buttons~

It still surprises me that it isn't usually called a 'disorder' as are anorexia, bulimia and other harmful behaviours/coping mechanisms. I tihnk self harm IS a disorder of some form, and that it should be recognised as such.

I think that self harm is more a symptom than a whole disorder. I say that mainly because I don't think that there's a single kind of unifying thought process or emotional state behind SI like there is for behaviors that characterize a specific disorder. Like with anorexia, there's fear of gaining weight, distorted body image, ect. that lead to the behaviors, and even though the disorder is identified by the symptoms, the concept of the disorder is more about the psychological processes that produce the behaviors. But with SI, there might be someone who cuts to prevent themselves from dissociating, someone else who does it to relieve feelings of depression, someone who does it because they're trying to remove alien devices from their body, and someone else who does it for attention. In those examples, it could be a feature of a dissociative disorder, a mood disorder, a psychotic disorder, and personality disorder, which are all really different things, and it doesn't make sense to lump all of those together or to treat one feature of them as its own disorder. Of course, there are also people who SI without meeting the criteria for any mental disorder, but there are also plenty of people who engage in other maladaptive behaviors without meeting the criteria for any disorder, and it's still seen as maladaptive and as a potential focus for treatment, it's just not a whole disorder.

06-02-2008, 01:55 AM	#8
~invisible~girl~ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: California	Quote: Originally Posted by ~Buttons~ It still surprises me that it isn't usually called a 'disorder' as are anorexia, bulimia and other harmful behaviours/coping mechanisms. I tihnk self harm IS a disorder of some form, and that it should be recognised as such. I think that self harm is more a symptom than a whole disorder. I say that mainly because I don't think that there's a single kind of unifying thought process or emotional state behind SI like there is for behaviors that characterize a specific disorder. Like with anorexia, there's fear of gaining weight, distorted body image, ect. that lead to the behaviors, and even though the disorder is identified by the symptoms, the concept of the disorder is more about the psychological processes that produce the behaviors. But with SI, there might be someone who cuts to prevent themselves from dissociating, someone else who does it to relieve feelings of depression, someone who does it because they're trying to remove alien devices from their body, and someone else who does it for attention. In those examples, it could be a feature of a dissociative disorder, a mood disorder, a psychotic disorder, and personality disorder, which are all really different things, and it doesn't make sense to lump all of those together or to treat one feature of them as its own disorder. Of course, there are also people who SI without meeting the criteria for any mental disorder, but there are also plenty of people who engage in other maladaptive behaviors without meeting the criteria for any disorder, and it's still seen as maladaptive and as a potential focus for treatment, it's just not a whole disorder.
~invisible~girl~ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: California	Emily (\__/) (O.o ) (> < ) This Is Bunny. Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.