PSYC 356 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Limbic System, Hypervigilance, Mental Disorder
12 Sep 2017
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The deliberate alteration or destruction of body tissue without conscious suicidal intent. (favazza, 1993, p. 134) Most common forms: cutting (arms, legs, torso, burning. Most common sites of injury: arms, legs. Sense of relief from intolerable negative feelings and mounting tension. Tend to be depressed, sensitive to interpersonal rejections, and irritable. Common precipitants are situations leading to feelings of rejection, helplessness, anger, or guilt. Considered to be an expression of emotional pain: in other words, it can be considered a coping strategy. Significant feelings of shame, guilt, and embarrassment accompanied. Simply put, self-harm is a sign of an adolescent who is experiencing significant distress. Typically begins in early-mid adolescence (12-15 years) Estimates of prevalence range from 14-39: prevalence in adolescent psychiatric inpatient populations has been reported to be as high as 61% No sex differences (girls start earlier though) In comparison, estimated to occur in 4% of the general adult population and 21% of the adult psychiatric inpatient population.
