Self-Injury as an Addictive Disorder.

Self-injury is a mental health-related behavior people engage in to feel pain because they feel numb, to experience physical pain to ease their psychological pain, or to experience an emotional release. Self-injury is more common in patients with other co-occurring anxiety or mood disorders. An addictive component to self-injury has been identified related to an increase in dopamine levels from the self-injury, which then disrupts normal dopamine production similar to substance use disorders. Instruments are available to help identify patients who self-injure along with questions that should be asked in the course of a mental health assessment and physical examination. Patients with self-injury should be treated for any underlying mental health disorder as well as for self-injury, which includes therapy strategies and medications. Nurses can play a vital role in identifying and treating this disorder, which carries risk factors including infection, accidental death, and a higher risk of suicide. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 58(6), 13-16.].