Self Harm in Teens
ByI was quoted today in the Globe and Mail – a National newspaper in Canada.
I was interviewed about a teen who is repeatedly self harming, and there are issues with her confinement in hospital, and her competency assesssment.
I want to be clear – I am not involved in this young woman’s care at all. I was just interviewed to give the reporter some perspective.
You can read this article here.
Self harm and suicidality are very challenging. This particular young woman is in a serious situation, and a judge will be hearing from doctors today about how to proceed.
Often times, self harm in a teen isn’t so much of an issue with ADHD alone – it becomes more of an issue when there is comorbid depression, or other disorders.
Please share any thoughts or comments below.
Dr. Kenny
If the teen insists on ingesting sharp objects, she should be allowed to do so. Obviously, medical and legal professionals are wasting their time in attempting to help her and alleviate the situation. Given any time alone, she is bound to try again, so please respect her rights and allow her to do what she desires.
In response to Margret:
There is something deeper that is troubling this girl, than just wanting to swallow sharp objects. There is a deeper reason for the lashing out. Instead of just putting a bandaid over it and sending her home, time after time, someone needs to step up and really care enough to find out just what started this trauma in her life, if it’s a form of PSTD or something that would need drug and talk therapy, or complete care hospitalization-long term.
You can’t just throw a person away because you don’t understand why they do what they do.
self harming is a huge cry for help and often a very tangible way for someone to communicate how bad they are feeling on the inside which is, for many, invisible. there has to be a way to help this child.
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I am unsure of what is needed in the mail blank. Do you need mailing address or what? I think it’s very insensitive to suggest that a person just be left to insert or cut,swallow etc. Clearly, the person needs to be helped and a lot of times they are just sent out maybe with a prescription no follow up often ending in serious injury or death. If someone was responsible for the trauma e.g. molesting or harming, they need to be held responsible. I tried to comment on yesterday’s blog, but it came back as I didn’t know what was needed in the blank above. I agree the appointments should be kept, follow up is needed. Our guy is now on Vyvanse, and it’s immediate the change it made. He says he wants to keep the naughty boy in and let out the good one (he’s 8yrs. old) Nora
Anyone who thinks it is ok to ignore a child’s scream for help is obviously not a very compassionate person. This girl may be suicidal because she has been sexually abused. She is trying to harm herself because she doesn’t know what to with her pain. This is more than ADHD, for sure. She may be bi-polar as well. I hope someone helps this girl.
Hi Dr. Kenny,
I can totally relate to this subject. I am 60 years old and ADHD with many of the comorbids that sometimes come in combination with ADHD. My mother and grandmother both committed suicide when I was 22 and as far as I know both were alcoholics and suffered from depression. I don’t know about ADHD or other comorbids they could possiably have had.
I have been picking my scalp for the last ten years and haven’t been able to stop. I have consulted many doctors,therapists,phsyciatrists and attended the UCLA Anxiety Research Dept. for my medicine management for a couple years. I have tried many different medicines and combinations of medications to no avail to stop this miserable behavior. I totally agree with Kathy’s comment and I was appalled by Margrets comment.
This is not about self will being able to stop these behaviors. There are many people that have theses selfharm behaviors and not one of us chose to harm ourselves intentionally.
If you check out all of the support groups for selfharm you will understand we are all wanting to stop hurting ourselves and don’t know how and for most of us don’t why it started.
In my case I would guess it is due to anxiety and a stressful life. I won’t go also don’t know why it ever started.into all of the details except I do know when I started Picking my scalp, my daughter had just gotten married and moved out of state. I was going thru a divorce, I also moved out of state on my own never in my life had lived alone. I was also diagnoised at that time with ADHD at 50. and was going thru menopause. Just a few to mention.
Picking my scalp has affected the quality of my life in so many miserable ways let alone the people around me. This is not a choice we make to hurt ourselves it just happens.
Thanks to Dr. Kenny for sharing all of our needed research on these issues. Alot of these problems, like selfharming you don’t hear much about and it needs to be out in the open so we can get help. Thank you Dr. Kenny for your continueous research and your dedication to helping all of us. Bless you.
Sally
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Hi Dr. Handelman,
I recently read Delivered from Distraction by Dr. Ed Hallowell. I have always been pretty sure I had ADD, but reading this book made me even more certain. I feel that treatment would be a great help to me, but I don’t want to see a doctor about it because of discrimination against ADD/ADHD. I am currently applying for a position in the US military, and you can see their policy regarding ADD/ADHD here:
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/asthma.htm
(scroll down past the asthma stuff)
Is that even legal? What about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990?
I would very much like to get treatment, but not if it means I have to give up major opportunities to do so. What can a person do?
Baki,
Thanks for your comment.
I’m not sure that I know the answer to this, but I suggest you take a look at two different posts on this blog, and potentially enter discussions in the comments:
http://www.addadhdblog.com/adhd-medication-and-commercial-pilots
http://www.addadhdblog.com/adhd-in-the-military
Good luck,
Dr. Kenny