How are acts of self-injury different from attempted suicide?

Watch Video: How are acts of self-injury different from attempted suicide? by Wendy Lader, PhD, ...
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How are acts of self-injury different from attempted suicide?

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Self-injury and suicide are considered two different acts. As a matter of fact, self-injury now has become known as non-suicidal self-injury. And that's because the act itself often will not end in suicide. Most people will cut themselves on their wrists or their legs or on places that will not be lethal. That said, self-injury is a high risk factor for suicide. So even though it's a coping strategy, they're coping with things that are very difficult to deal with, if that coping strategy fails to work for them, they might go to a more extreme measure which is ending their life totally. There is some evidence, actually, that self-injury is a desensitization practice for suicide and that actually, the more people engage themselves in self-injury, the easier it is for them to go through with the suicidal act.

Watch Video: How are acts of self-injury different from attempted suicide? by Wendy Lader, PhD, ...

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Wendy Lader, PhD

Psychologist

Dr. Lader is co-founder and clinical director of the S.A.F.E. (Self Abuse Finally Ends) Alternatives Program. An internationally recognized expert on the treatment of self-injury, she lectures extensively on the subject and is co-author of the book, Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Healing Program for Self-Injurers as well as Self Injury: A Manual for School Professionals. In addition, she served as the expert for a training video on Self-Injury for the American Psychological Association. Dr. Lader is co- founder of the Self-Injury Foundation and a founding member of the International Society for the Study of Self-Injury. 

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