Related Experiment Videos
Self-mutilation and eating disorders
A R Favazza1, L DeRosear, K Conterio
1University of Missouri, Columbia.
Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior
|January 1, 1989
Summary
Patients with eating disorders frequently engage in self-harm behaviors like cutting and burning. Researchers suggest this link may indicate a distinct impulse control disorder, the "deliberate self-harm syndrome."
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Eating disorders, including Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa, are frequently associated with self-mutilation.
- The co-occurrence of self-harm and eating disorders necessitates a deeper understanding of their relationship.
Observation:
- Evidence from literature reviews, patient interviews, and a developed Self-Harm Behavior Survey indicates a strong link between eating disorders and self-mutilation.
- Case reports highlight the complexity of self-harm behaviors in patients with eating disorders.
Findings:
- Self-mutilation, often seen as a symptom of Borderline Personality Disorder, may be an associated feature or complication of Anorexia Nervosa/Bulimia Nervosa.
- The study proposes that a combination of self-mutilation, disordered eating, and other impulsive behaviors (e.g., alcohol abuse, foreign object ingestion) could represent a distinct impulse control disorder: the "deliberate self-harm syndrome".
Implications:
- Clinical diagnostic manuals like DSM-IV should consider listing self-mutilation as a feature or complication of eating disorders.
- Recognizing the "deliberate self-harm syndrome" could lead to more targeted and effective treatment strategies for individuals exhibiting these combined symptoms.