Self-harm in adolescents: what they are, causes and how to deal with them

Adolescence is a period of life that causes difficulties. Not only changes are experienced at the body level, but there is also a change in behavior with respect to their family and social environment. Still, it's sometimes hard to see what issues teens are experiencing. When problems are not treated in time, this can lead to serious consequences such as physical damage and/or self-harm.

Self-harm can be cuts to any part of the body, skin burns, hitting the head against some hard material or eating food that can trigger poisoning, among others. Having sufficient and concrete data about this issue can help address the conflict in time. If you want to know more about this, in this Psychology-Online article, we will talk about the self-harm in adolescents: what they are, causes and how to work on them.

Index

1. Causes of self-harm in adolescents
2. How to treat self-harm in adolescents
3. How to prevent self-harm in adolescents

Self-harm in adolescents is always the consequence of something else, that is, they are due to certain triggers. For this reason, below, we will expose the main causes of self-harm in adolescents:

1. Environmental factors: past life experiences directly influence the development of personality. For this reason, self-harm can be the product of some unpleasant experience or some past plot. These situations produce a lot of anguish that, if not managed in time, can lead to serious consequences such as self-harm.
2. Social factors: The norms imposed by society can be a difficult challenge for some people to face. Mainly, capitalist societies seek success and happiness regardless of the consequences that this implies for other individuals.

As we can see, knowledge of the causes of self-harm in adolescents is crucial to prevent further complications.

Profile of a teenager who self-harms

To better understand what leads adolescents to self-harm, below, we will show the main aspects that make up the profile of an adolescent who self-harms:

• Low tolerance for frustration.
• Low self-esteem.
• Victim of some abuse at the family and/or school level.
• Lack of own limits.
• feeling of fault.
• Difficulty in solving various problems.
• Impulsiveness.
• Distress.
• Anxiety.
• Insomnia.

When we understand the causes linked to adolescent self-harm, the next step It is important to look for ways to intervene in these situations that imply a risk for the teenagers. For this reason, in this section we will see how to work on self-harm in adolescents:

• Using the dialog: One of the main features of self-harm in adolescents is the negative emotional aspects. If we try to establish effective dialogues with the adolescent, in which we seek to build a relationship based on trust, it is possible that this behavior will gradually decrease.
• Go to mental health professionals: The emotional support of the adolescent is crucial, given the complexities that self-harm brings. Psychological treatments provide tools to manage situations of anxiety, distress, stress and/or frustration. Similarly, it is important that the parents of affected adolescents have their own therapeutic space. In severe cases, it may be necessary to take psychiatric medication under the supervision of a professional.

The prevention of self-harm in adolescents is not an easy task, but it is very necessary. How you approach the situation can determine your progress or healing. Therefore, with the intention of providing resources to stop this dangerous behavior, we are going to show different ways to prevent self-harm in adolescents:

• Psychotherapy: The therapeutic approach serves both to treat and prevent behaviors that are triggers of self-harm in adolescents. In general, psychological therapy works on the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that affect a person's conflicts. Therefore, thanks to psychological intervention, it is possible to prevent self-harm in adolescents.
• empathize with the adolescent: Teens who self-harm often have big insecurities that reflect their character. Given this aspect, it should be noted that it is convenient to approach the adolescent in an understanding way instead of judging her behavior.
• Support recreational activities: there are certain moments of distraction that allow you to alleviate the impulses to harm yourself physically. For this reason, promoting certain recreational, sports and/or artistic activities can help prevent self-harm in adolescents.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Self-harm in adolescents: what they are, causes and how to deal with them, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotional and behavioral disorders.

• Charrasquiel Fuentes, D. L., Hurtado Moreno, Y. A. (2020). Self-injurious behaviors in adolescents, theoretical keys for their understanding: a study of the state of the art. University of Antioquia. Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, Department of Psychology.
• Fleta Zaragozano, J. (2017). Self-harm in adolescence: an emerging behavior. Bulletin of the Pediatric Society of Aragon, La Rioja and Soria, 47 (2), 37-45.