2024-07-16 06:54:09
Non-suicidal self-harm is harm that people intentionally do to themselves, but which is not intended to end their life. Recent studies show that people who are self-harming can develop an addiction to this type of damage with serious consequences for health, especially for young people.
In particular, some young people and adults seem to develop behaviors consistent with addiction to non-suicidal self-harm.
One in four young people worldwide shows non-suicidal self-harm and 2% of Spanish young people will have a suicide attempt in their lifetime.
These and other conclusions are taken in the book “The Oxford Handbook of Non-Suicidal Practice”written by health professionals to give visibility and review the latest research on the subject.
In it, participate Dr. Hilario Blasco-Fontecilla, researcher at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR) and medical director of the Emotional Wellbeing Centeralong with other international experts.
“What can start as an emotional regulation process can lead to a game machine that generates resistance and makes self-harm more frequent or severe, that can lead to a lack of control,” says the researcher and psychiatrist .
A true addiction
Some studies show how the increase in beta-endorphins in the blood of people who harm themselves can be similar to that which occurs when they consume drugs, tobacco or alcohol, thus causing an addiction.
Furthermore, the psychiatrist explains that the emotional state that precedes non-suicidal self-harm can share the withdrawal symptoms experienced by other addicts.
“Somehow self-harm becomes a habit and when people don’t do it, they feel like something is missing. It becomes a feeling of emptiness that is not intense,” said the expert.
The likelihood that a young person who self-harms will attempt suicide is 30%, with the risk being twice that of an adult.
For adults who experience non-suicidal self-harm, around 15-20% end up attempting suicide later.
“This is why young people with self-harm who are not suicidal meet enough criteria to be people at risk of suicide,” Blasco-Fontecilla adds.
Causes of non-suicidal self-harm
Psychologists point out that self-harm can have many reasons, including using it as a way of emotional self-regulation to feel comfortable, improve mood or avoid doing other actions.
In some cases, they can also be perceived as calls for attention to the surrounding environment or as a way of finding feelings such as freedom or escaping the void.
Using technology
Furthermore, another factor that can influence the high rates of self-harm and suicide is the use of mobile devices with Internet access.
According to the researcher, between 2019 and 2022, the use of new technologies in suicides has increased from 33.5% to 51.5% because it can be means used to incite violence (sextortion, cyberbullying) o Learn how to prevent self-harm or suicide.
“97% of 12-year-olds already have the best device,” said the expert.
Professionals recommend that parents monitor their children’s use of social networks, if they follow influences and accounts that promote such harms and harmful behaviors, if they visit related websites to self-harm and suicide, etc.
How to prevent the situation
The researcher divided the most effective interventions to prevent self-harm and suicide attempts into two: moderation and physical therapy.
First, he explained that it is necessary for young people to have escape valves such as sports, musical instruments or drawing, that is, something that allows them to express and process emotions in a normal way.
At the therapeutic level, he points out that there are techniques, above all, focused on the regulation of emotions.
“There is a specific therapy that has shown great effectiveness. This is the therapy of behavioral dialectics, which serves to know what things people think before doing self-harm in order to be able to avoid them later,” emphasized the doctor.
A public health issue
Researcher of the GOOD emphasized that it is an important public health issue, especially in young people because one in four in the world shows self-harm that is not suicide.
“Self-harm is like a teenager turning an amber traffic light to ask for help. If we don’t go in time, the risk that they will try to kill themselves is very high,” the expert pointed out.
Furthermore, he explained that people who self-harm often want to continue doing so.
According to data from the ANAR Foundation, between 2019 and 2022, only 44% of children or adolescents with suicidal behavior received psychological treatment.
Furthermore, between 2012 and 2022, cases treated at ANAR for suicidal ideation have increased by 23.7 and suicide attempts by 25.9.
Psychiatrists emphasize that the well-being of children and adolescents is a public health emergency. “The concern of families, schools, organizations, the media and the public administration itself about the well-being of our young people is growing because of the incredible number of issues related to the lack of mental health and emotional well-being of young people and there are young people” said the expert.
#Addiction #nonsuicidal #selfharm