''...self-injury should not be ignored...''

[pb...]

From the Los Angeles Times

Therapists hope self-injury disorder finds recognition

December 8, 2008

Even one incident of self-injury should not be ignored by the people who spot
it.

"I don't advise practitioners to write it off," says Janis Whitlock, an expert
on self-injury at Cornell University. "We want to be conservative and careful.
Even the single-time self-injurers seem to be at higher risk for suicidality and
psychiatric disorders."

Therapists are hopeful that the disorder will receive a name and a definition in
the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric
Disorders because, as of now, treatment is not covered by insurance. To receive
reimbursement for treatment, many therapists classify the patient as having
another disorder, such as depression or borderline personality disorder.

Treatment for self-injury varies widely, depending on the severity and the
presence of additional mental illnesses. However, most of the treatments explore
the reasons why the patient feels compelled to self-injure and tries to replace
the behavior with healthier coping mechanisms.

A societal reluctance to address self-injury is a barrier to prevention and
treatment, experts say.

-- Shari Roan

Copyright 2008 Los Angeles Times
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Reprinted for educational purposes only.