4 possible causes of self-harm in teens

The practice of self-harm is one of the most difficult behavior patterns to understand: from the vision of the human being as a being that seeks pleasure and avoids pain, this pattern of behavior does not have sense.

However, self-harm is not an extreme rarity in the repertoire of behaviors that people can engage in. In fact, it is estimated that about 4% of people in the United States self-harm with less or greater degree of severity, and about 1% inflict serious injuries with some regularity.

In addition, it is known that the age group that falls into these behaviors most frequently is made up of adolescents and young adults. In this article we will review possible causes of self-harm in teens.

• Related article: "The 10 types of self-harm and associated disorders"

What do we understand by self-harm?

When we talk about self-harm in psychology, we are referring to a practice (that is, a pattern of behavior) that consists of inflicting damage to oneself and that is linked to the experience of physical pain. Is about

a predisposition to perform deliberate actions against oneself, physically. In fact, the term "self-harm" is sometimes used to refer to this phenomenon.

However, it must be taken into account that after the habit of self-injury, there is usually no emotion of anger or any feeling linked to aggressiveness. It is not necessary for the person to consider that he is being "punished" for something or that he is performing an act of moral compensation, as we will see. The bottom line is that self-harm is an action that produces pain, regardless of whether you want to end your own life or not.

5 causes of self-harm in adolescence

Adolescence is a psychologically complex stage: involves going through a transition from childhood to adulthood, moving from roles of helplessness and dependence on fathers and mothers, to another of emancipation and assumption of responsibilities.

In addition, it is necessary to adapt to this new status while the body undergoes physical transformations very quickly, which can lead to experiencing complexes for the own appearance.

To this we must add the interest adolescents have in finding acceptance and validation from their peers: They no longer try to resemble their fathers and mothers, now they want to "become independent" from those references and be one more of the gang, with all that that entails.

Forging one's own identity while seeking to please others is very complex, and makes young people vulnerable to dynamics toxic: popularity competitions, marginalization and bullying situations, management of fear of rejection in the face of the first attempts to have partner, etc.

Taking this into account, it is beginning to be understood why this age group may have a greater predisposition to develop certain psychological problems, having a profile somewhat different from the rest of the population.

Technically, the number of triggers of a psychological problem that lead a young person to self-harm is practically infinite; there are as many problematic psychological mechanisms as there are individuals. These causes of self-harm may include factors such as traumatic situations experienced in childhood, a physical illness that produces constant discomfort, insecurities with one's own body, feelings of guilt, and ultimately, an endless list of human experiences linked to discomfort.

However, in practice it is possible to identify some very common causes of self-harm in adolescents. Here we will see the main ones.

1. Anxiety management

As we have seen, adolescents face many potential sources of anxiety. Self-harm is used by some to "disconnect" From those anxious worries and thoughts, forced to focus on the here and now of physical pain.

• You may be interested in: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics"

2. Guilt management

In some cases, self-harm is a mechanism by which the person tries to punish himself to stop feeling bad about something unfair that he thinks he has done.

The lack of criteria to know what to expect of the person can lead some young people to developing overly unrealistic expectations about what is expected of them and how they should behave.

3. Establishment of semi-unconscious self-harm routines

In some cases, self-harm is an action performed almost unconsciously, especially if it does not It is necessary to use an object to perform it (for example, biting a certain part of the hands or arms). In this sense, resembles disorders such as trichotillomania, in which behavior is ritualized by linking it to stress. In this way, the person does not know when to perform these actions, or why.

4. Associated psychopathologies

Sometimes self-harm is the result of a psychological disorder with its own causes and triggers.

Borderline Personality Disorder is a psychopathology in which frequent self-harm is very common. It also occurs with major depression and some dissociative-type disorders.

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