The Problem of Deliberate Self Harm - Research Paper Example

One of the most serious public health concerns in our modern-day society is the problem of deliberate self-harm. An investigation carried out in a cross-section of the society of children in the age group of 10 – to 14 years (Office of statistics) sowed that cutting and piercing and poisoning were the primary causes of such injuries in children and gunshot and suffocation were key factors responsible for the suicide.However, in the last decade, there has been an ever-escalating volume of research being carried out in this area due to the spurt of emergency cases that are recorded each year.

There are many factors that contribute to this and some of the most common are poor psychological conditions, adverse family circumstances, physical and sexual abuse, and alcohol and drug involvement. Our study is going to investigate the area of self-harm in children with regard to its symptoms and causes with particular emphasis on the treatment and prevention of such anti-social behavior. The sensitive areas such as violence in the family and school, neglect, child – abuse and molestation would also form an important part of the study because these issues are directly linked and responsible for non- fatal harm in children.

The issue of self-harm among teenagers and children is much in focus now due to greater public awareness as well as the increased coverage given to it by media. Some estimates suggest that “1 and 2 million people are doing self-injury (SI) to themselves” (Alderman, Tracy, 1998), while another study puts the figure at 1% of the population of the United States (Martinson, Deb). The developmental stages of a child are absolutely crucial to the healthy well being of any individual and as such should be handled with utmost care.

A failure to achieve this would entail adverse repercussions which may lead to diverse problems, especially in children.