Self-harm, also known as self-injury is a major public health concern among adolescents. It is most common among teenagers around 12 years old, although its prevalence is low in the early stages of life.
On the other hand, self-destruction refers to self-inflicted death accompanied by evidence of intention to do so, whether natural or external. Suicide attempts also refer to potentially self-harmful but non-fatal behaviour associated with any intention to harm oneself, while suicidal ideation refers to thoughts of committing suicide regardless of intention.
Society and culture play a crucial role in shaping people’s attitudes and perceptions towards mental health and suicide. Culture affects how we define and understand mental health and mental illness, the type of care we seek and receive, and the quality of care provided by healthcare professionals, as well as our response to interventions and therapy. The social and cultural factors associated with suicide are considered at four different levels: individual, geographic, cultural, and historical influences.
According to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), self-harm is an expression of emotional distress and is not an illness in itself. It is a situation in which a person causes harm to themselves in order to end their life, relieve tension, escape sadness, change others’ behaviour, demonstrate madness, or call for help. Therefore, it ranges from behaviours with no suicidal intent to actual suicide attempts. However, it has been suggested that some successful suicides are self-harming incidents that have failed.
Self-harm and suicide among teenagers usually occur through self-cutting or self-harming. Typically, teenagers tend to use means that are readily available in their homes. Self-harm accounts for about 90% of reported hospital cases, usually involving over-the-counter medications such as paracetamol and aspirin, or psychotropic agents. Self-harm being conducted by more violent acts such as attempted hanging, in which case it is generally associated with higher suicidal intent, tends to be relatively less common. While past self-harm is a significant determining factor for future suicides, the reverse is not the case.
While suicide rates increase with age, the majority of intentional self-harm occurs in people under the age of 35. Gender differences have also been frequently reported, with males being more likely to commit suicide and females engaging in intentional self-harm. There are also differences in the patient’s mental status. Post-mortem assessments of suicide victims reveal that the victim’s mental state is often associated with an underlying mental illness such as depression.
Also read: Teen suicide: how to read the early warning signs
This may not always be the case for self-harm patients. Although there may be a history of depressive illness, self-harm is often an impulsive act, possibly exacerbated by alcohol or drug use. Self-harm and suicide are serious public health concerns, especially among adolescents.
It is important to take these issues seriously and to be able to distinguish between the two in today’s society, especially during this pandemic when many people have gone through major life changes and difficulties. Therefore, we need to check on ourselves, our friend groups, and our loved ones, and have a positive impact on them. Life is precious, and we should value it and help others value theirs, rather than letting them engage in harmful acts
