1 in 4 young people has engaged in self-harm at least once: Study

It is not a mental disorder but a behaviour that often signals underlying issues, says expert

- Syarafana Shafeeq

One in four young people here say they have hurt themselves at least once in their lives, in ways such as cutting or punching themselves.

This was the finding of a recent study that shed new light on the prevalence and patterns of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among young people in Singapore.

NSSI typically includes cutting, burning, hitting or otherwise inflicting physical harm.

The study found that the median age that NSSI behaviour starts was 14, while males had a second peak at around 18 years old.

Repetitive NSSI, defined as at least five instances of self-harm, was reported by 11.6 per cent of respondents.

The most common method of self-injury in the study was cutting, which was prevalent among almost 13.5 per cent of young people.

This was followed by severe scratching, punching themselves, and banging their heads against something.

The study, published in March, took data from the National Youth Mental Health Study, which involved 2,600 participants aged 15 to 35.

The national study was conducted by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

Dr Swapna Verma, chairman of the medical board at IMH, told The Straits Times that NSSI is not a mental disorder but a behaviour that often signals underlying issues.

"Young people may resort to self-harm as a way to cope with overwhelming emotions or distress that they don't have the tools to manage in healthier ways.

"For some, it provides a temporary relief from intense feelings like sadness, anger, anxiety or numbness.

Others may use it to communicate distress."