Author:
Yazici Merve,Hocaoglu Cicek
Abstract
Self-harming behavior (SHB) refers to a culturally disapproved situation in which a person intentionally damages his/her own body. SHB is an important public health problem in the world, especially during adolescence, and is widely encountered in clinical practice. It can be seen together with psychopathologies such as depression and borderline personality disorders, but it can also occur without concomitant psychopathology. In addition to the fact that SHB has a high risk of recurrence and can result in negative mental health problems in the long term, it is also one of the most important risk factors for suicidal behavior. Studies on SHB have increased in recent years. However, the epidemiology and etiology of SHB have not been fully elucidated. In addition, there is no psychotherapeutic intervention method or pharmacological agent whose effectiveness for SHB has been proven yet. In this article, it is aimed to review the studies related to the definition, epidemiology, risk factors, and treatment of self-harming behavior.