Self-harming tendencies can be easily misunderstood. It can be difficult for families to identify, understand, or effectively address self-harming behaviors in teenage girls. Professional support at Clearview can help families become more involved in their loved one’s mental health care surrounding this issue. Clearview’s treatment program can help families better manage their daughter’s mental health condition through gentle interventions, monitoring, and ongoing support.

What Does It Mean to Engage in Self-Harm?

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), when an individual intentionally injures their own body, this can be referred to as self-harm. Women are more likely to engage in self-harming behavior than men.

Individuals who engage in self-injurious behaviors typically do not intend to kill themselves. Instead, they injure themselves to gain a sense of relief from internal psychological pain. However, any type of self-harm puts girls at serious risk for accidental suicide if they do not seek professional support.

The onset of self-harm is typically in the teenage years or early adulthood. An individual may engage in self-harm and later discontinue this type of behavior. Others may have trouble stopping. Many teens report that they have engaged in self-injurious behaviors to stop intense feelings of anger, loneliness, or hopelessness. They may have difficulty expressing themselves and lack the knowledge or strategies to cope effectively with their emotions.

Teen Statistics on Self-Harming Behavior

A study published in the journal Pediatrics noted that younger children engage in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) at a similar rate as those in early adolescence. Unfortunately, self-harm is not uncommon, even in children as young as the third grade. However, those behaviors can be more benign, such as hitting oneself.

The prevalence of NSSI in females has increased dramatically over the past decade. Also, gender differences increase during adolescence. In grades three and six, there is no difference between the prevalence of self-harming behaviors in girls versus boys. By adolescence, however, girls are far more likely to engage in self-harm and self-mutilation. For example, this study showed that ninth-grade boys engaged in self-harming behaviors three times less than ninth-grade girls.

Different Types of Self-Harming Behaviors

According to the aforementioned SAMHSA study, there is no direct cause of self-harming behaviors in adolescents. An individual may have experienced intense past trauma or may be having difficulty coping with an undiagnosed mental health condition such as depression, bipolar disorder, or generalized anxiety.

Different types of self-injurious behaviors commonly include:

  • Cutting one’s skin with a sharp or pointy object
  • Hitting or punching oneself or punching walls, pillows, or floors
  • Piercing the skin with sharp or pointy objects
  • Breaking bones or bruising oneself
  • Burning oneself with matches, candles, or cigarettes
  • Hitting one’s head with a hard object

How to Recognize Self-Harming Behaviors in Adolescents

It can be challenging for parents to acknowledge that their daughter is having problems with her mental health. The warning signs of self-harming behaviors can often be missed as well. It can be helpful for loved ones to do some investigation to help them understand their loved one’s condition and the signs of self-harm. This may help parents monitor certain behaviors or effectively manage them at home.

Warning signs of self-harm typically include:

  • Talking about feeling worthless or helpless
  • Having random scars appear on the body
  • Frequently reporting accidental injuries
  • Sharp objects disappearing from the house or garage
  • Wearing pants or long sleeves in warm weather
  • Being covered with unexplained bruises, cuts, burns, or bite marks
  • Presenting emotional and behavioral instability and unpredictability
  • Keeping sharp objects on hand

How Clearview Addresses Self-Harming Behaviors

It can feel unsettling as a parent to know that their loved one is facing serious challenges with her mental health. Family members may feel even worse knowing that self-harming behaviors put one at risk for accidental suicide. It may be wise for families to seek professional support from certified specialists to assist in behavioral management.

Clearview’s many therapeutic options can help one’s daughter find greater mental stability. Talk therapy can provide a teenage girl with a safe environment where she can confide with a trained therapist. A therapist may also offer a teen girl with self-help strategies to help her cope with past trauma and impulsivity.

Parent Workshop Weekends and Other Options

Furthermore, it is common for parents to feel uneasy after signing their daughter up for a new treatment program. Many parents may feel relieved knowing that Clearview Horizon Girls Academy offers parent workshop weekends. These workshops are thoughtfully crafted to empower parents on their loved one’s unique journey to recovery.

During the process, family members learn about relationship building, self-awareness, and effective communication skills. Parents can gain new strategies to create healthy connections within the family unit. Moreover, parents can learn how to provide emotional outlets and behavioral management for their daughters.

Some of the treatment modalities offered through Clearview include:

  • Trust-based relational intervention
  • Dialectical behavioral therapy
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • Trauma therapy
  • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Lifespan integration
  • Reality therapy
  • Neurofeedback treatments
  • Craniosacral therapy treatments

At Clearview Horizon Girls Academy, we prioritize the well-being of troubled girls through a comprehensive therapeutic approach. Our weekly individual therapy sessions are tailored to meet the unique needs of each girl, whether in a single extended sitting or through multiple shorter sessions spread across the week. We employ a variety of evidence-based therapeutic modalities to address the root causes of the issues our students present. We help struggling teen girls overcome difficult emotional issues such as attachment disorders, attention deficits, eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-destructive or antisocial behavior, and issues involved with adoption. Call Clearview at 866-584-4788 to learn more about how our programs can provide support for young girls and their families.