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Meaning of self-harm in English:

self-harm

Pronunciation /sɛlfˈhɑːm/

Translate self-harm into Spanish

noun

mass noun

  • Deliberate injury to oneself, typically as a manifestation of a psychological or psychiatric disorder.

    ‘‘Wayne died from deliberate self-harm while the balance of his mind was disturbed,’ he said.’
    • ‘The incidences of self-harm, eating disorders, and even suicide among young people in schools and colleges is evidence of the emotional burden imposed by a society which often seems to demand too much of them.’
    • ‘He has no history of self-harm, eating disorder, alcohol/drug dependency or misuse.’
    • ‘Self-harm is often also referred to by other names such as deliberate self-harm, attempted suicide, para-suicide, self-mutilation and self-injury.’
    • ‘It began in my teenage years with an eating disorder, and progressed to periods of depression, self-harm, further eating disorders and voice-hearing.’
    • ‘He said that many had gone on to brushes with the law, suicide attempts, self-harm, psychiatric intervention, failed relationships and disturbed behaviour.’
    • ‘In recent decades, there has been a reduction in suicide rates among Oxbridge students, and the instances of deliberate self-harm are fewer in relation to the general, age-matched population.’
    • ‘Since his re-arrest, his risk of suicide and deliberate self-harm will have increased to moderate to high, whereas this was low whilst he was accessing appropriate care and attention.’
    • ‘Numerous studies have consistently found that people who engage in deliberate self-harm have difficulties with interpersonal problem-solving.’
    • ‘They experience communication problems, and so may present staff with a ‘crisis’, for example in the form of deliberate self-harm.’
    • ‘Although the initial focus of the group was on deliberate self-harm, it soon became apparent that the women all had a good grasp of why they harmed themselves and the scope of the group widened.’
    • ‘One in every 160 teenage girls was treated for deliberate self-harm in hospital last year, according to the latest figures from the National Parasuicide Registry.’
    • ‘Apparently, last year, almost 3,000 people under the age of 25 were treated in hospital for attempted suicide or deliberate self-harm.’
    • ‘Recruits face bullying, self-harm, injury and early dropout because initial training and care are not better managed, a new report says.’
    • ‘Other illnesses such as body dismorphic disorder, self-harm and binge eating are also affected by media pressure.’
    • ‘All the women had committed at least one act of deliberate self-harm, and 87% were multiple repeaters.’
    • ‘Between 3 and 5 percent of persons who have had an episode of deliberate self-harm die by suicide within five to 10 years.’
    • ‘Many authors suggest that there may be a pathway of girls linking self-harm to physical harm directed towards others.’
    • ‘This success justifies to them the need for having spoken in the code of gestural self-harm.’
    • ‘The assessment and management of risk, in this case that of self-harm, is a prominent part of contemporary psychiatric practice.’

verb

[no object]

  • Commit self-harm.

    ‘In the first chain analysis Rachel self-harmed in response to thinking she was not slim or beautiful enough (which linked to her core-belief of being unlovable and therefore being rejected).’
    • ‘I have no doubt at all that it was by reason of his depressive illness that he self-harmed.’
    • ‘Some are learning how to deal with incontinence and give injections and tube feeds, or coping with a parent who overdoses or self-harms.’
    • ‘Staff are often worried that giving attention to a person who self-harms will ‘reinforce’ the behaviour.’
    • ‘This suggests that many parents are unaware that their children are self-harming.’
    • ‘As someone who has self-harmed, years ago, but also more recently, I can really identify, as I'm sure thousands of others do.’
    • ‘She said Barber suffered from depression, and had self-harmed and attempted suicide on one occasion this year.’
    • ‘Rather than be the victim of gossip, I decided to be upfront, and I gave a talk about how I'd self-harmed.’
    • ‘Reports have suggested the men have self-harmed and considered suicide.’
    • ‘He tried to kill himself several times, self-harmed frequently and very nearly avoided a hospital.’
    • ‘Mr Sharpe said it was mainly young people who self-harmed due to the pressures of modern living.’
    • ‘One in four women in local prisons self-harms, some repeatedly.’
    • ‘Scandal hits, deals a body blow to his career, and two days later he self-harms.’
    • ‘Twenty-nine children and young people up to the age of 20 were recorded as having self-harmed.’
    • ‘Maybe they didn't self-harm or attempt suicide but I bet some of them thought about it.’
    • ‘There is a risk that she will self-harm again in reaction to these circumstances.’