UNDERSTANDING SELF-HARM IN YOUNG PEOPLE: AN EMOTIONAL UNBALANCE IN NEED FOR INTERVENTION

Self-harm behavior refers to the intentional self-destruction or alteration of body tissue without deliberate suicidal intent. Studies claimed self-harm as being associated to obsessive-compulsive characteristics and eating disorders, emotion-regulation functions when interpersonal distress occurs and physiological reactivity during a distressing task in association to social problem-solving deficits. Three national studies referring to young people will be presented. The main study's aim was to understand frequency of self-harm in Portuguese students and understanding the associations between self-harm and risk behaviors. A convenience sample of 206 was collected among high school and university students. The instrument used was a self-completed questionnaire: “Teens Self-Destructive Scale”. A minority of self-harmers was found. Results suggested associations between self-harm, eating disorders and difficulties regarding self-regulation of emotions and that self-harm can be considered a non-adaptive and not successful personal strategy to manage emotions. Findings from the other two national studies will be referred. All together, these findings demonstrate the relevance of studies in this domain and helped producing guidelines in terms of therapeutic interventions. During the last decades, young people became more literate regarding health information and more aware of risk behaviors, but did not improve their literacy about emotions and how to deal with them. Are we in need for a "positive" approach to mental health promotion in young people?