Citation

Rosen PM, Heard KV. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1995; 25(3): 381-385.

Affiliation

Community Treatment Center, Inc., Worcester, MA 01608, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8553418

Abstract

Self-mutilation occurs on a continuum from superficial to severe, yet previous studies have not differentiated these acts. This study, conducted over 4 years with emotionally disturbed adolescents, presents a method for reporting four levels of severity of self-mutilation. A group of 32 subjects inflicted 128 self-mutilations. Each wound was rated for level of injury and was mapped according to the location of the wound on the body. This method for reporting self-mutilation was seen as an efficient and reliable procedure for describing the full continuum of self-inflicted injuries. The term self-harm was seen as a more accurate and useful description of these behaviors.