title: A method for reporting self-harm according to level of injury and location on the body.
abstract: Self-mutilation occurs on a continuum from superficial to severe, yet previous studies have not differentiated these acts. This study, conducted over 4 years with emotionally disturbed adolescents, presents a method for reporting four levels of severity of self-mutilation. A group of 32 subjects inflicted 128 self-mutilations. Each wound was rated for level of injury and was mapped according to the location of the wound on the body. This method for reporting self-mutilation was seen as an efficient and reliable procedure for describing the full continuum of self-inflicted injuries. The term self-harm was seen as a more accurate and useful description of these behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Community Treatment Center, Inc., Worcester, MA 01608, USA.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Heard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior; D012720:Severity of Illness Index