Self-Injury & young children

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By Linda Mays - bio | email

Disturbing news about young children and self-injury.

According to the latest online issues of Pediatrics, elementary school-age children experiment with self-injury.

Mental health development experts explain that the self injury methods include cutting, burning and head banging, along with inserting sharp objects into skin or nails, skin picking, biting, or pulling hair to cause pain.

A new study suggests that elementary school children cut and otherwise injure themselves at about the same rate as older children.

Child & adolescent psychologists at the Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City report that the primary reason adolescents and adults self-harm is for emotional regulation effects.

Doctors say, it helps relieve emotional pain for many children.

Researchers say, repeaters tend to feel depressed, anxious, angry or consumed with negative feelings or thoughts.#