An analysis of online posts on Reddit shows that many people who self-harm exhibit the same behaviors as people addicted to substances such as drugs and alcohol.
Researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), looked at the r/SelfHarm subreddit to analyze posts from users who frequent the board.
They used published substance abuse rates to analyze user messages and compare them to what a person who is struggling with drug or alcohol abuse might speak.
Researchers have found that self-harm and the general mindset that surrounds it and pushes someone into action can be much more like an addiction than experts believe.
The NIH research team analyzed posts on the Reddit forum about talk of self-harm. Many self-harmers have been found to talk about their actions in the same way that a drug addict talks about substance abuse (file photo)
“In recent years, social media has served as a window into the subjective experience of stigmatized populations on a large scale and can provide insight into the everyday language people use when they are in a relatively safe space with others who have similar experiences.” Dr. Brenda Curtis, senior author of the study and head of NIDA’s Division of Technology and Translational Research, said in a statement.
“Our results suggest that the language of addiction can be familiar and comfortable for self-harming patients. We must listen and learn from this living experience.”
The researchers, who published their findings on Monday in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, analyzed nearly 70,000 posts and 290,000 comments from the subreddit’s 38,000 users.
The forum, with over 93,000 subscribers, describes itself as “a subreddit where self-harming people can connect with each other, ask questions, and build a community.”
NIH researchers refer to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) for the study, a handbook published by the American Psychiatric Association that provides healthcare professionals with guidance on how to recognize, diagnose, and treat certain mental disorders.
These disorders include addiction to things like drugs and alcohol.
The researchers identified behaviors, terms used in speech and writing, and other factors commonly found among people who abuse substances on blackboard posters, as if self-harm was itself a drug.
The symptoms of addiction analyzed included people describing “urges” or “urges” to self-harm, describing “tolerance,” withdrawal, and how self-harm may affect their ability to fulfill life obligations or withdraw from recreational activities.
More than two-thirds of the users analyzed described self-harm urges or cravings at some point, and almost half described a growing tolerance for harm.
Much of the terminology used by these participants is the same as that used by addicts, including frequently used terms such as “clean”, “relapse”, “streak”, “recovery”, as well as some who outright refer to themselves as “addict”.
Although researchers cannot say for sure whether self-harm should be classified in the same way as drug addiction in the future, they believe they have opened the door to further elucidation of the topic.
The NIH reports that 17 percent of teens and 13 percent of young adults self-harm at some point, usually caused by depression or anxiety (file photo).
“Non-suicidal self-harm is often personal and covert and, like substance use disorders, is highly stigmatized and can cause significant harm if not diagnosed and treated,” NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkov said in a statement.
“Although this study does not in itself demonstrate that self-harm can necessarily be classified as an addiction, more information about the addictive behavior of self-harm will be critical to improving our understanding and treatment of this condition.”
The NIH reports that 17 percent of teens, 13 percent of young adults, and six percent of adults report self-harm at some point in their lives.
While self-mutilation can present in many ways, slashing — where a person uses a blade to make small cuts on their body, usually along the wrist — is most synonymous with it, especially among younger age groups.
It can also include strangulation, hair pulling, intentionally injuring yourself in the head, or engaging in extremely risky behavior.
Self-harm is usually a sign of severe anxiety or depression among other mental illnesses.