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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffThere's no one best way to treat self-injury. Treatment is tailored to your specific issues and any related mental health conditions you might have, such as depression. Treating self-injury can take time, hard work and your own desire to recover. Because self-injury can become such a major part of your life and it's often accompanied by serious mental disorders, treatment with a mental health professional experienced in self-injury issues may be necessary.
Treatment options for self-injury include:
Psychotherapy
Also known as talk therapy or counseling, psychotherapy can help you identify and manage underlying issues that trigger self-injury. Therapy also can help you learn skills to better tolerate stress, regulate your emotions, boost your self-image and improve relationships.
Several types of psychotherapy in particular may be helpful, including:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy
In addition to individual therapy sessions, family therapy or group therapy also may be recommended.
Medications
No medications specifically treat self-injury. However, your doctor may recommend treatment with antidepressants or other psychiatric medications that can help improve depression, anxiety or other mental disorders commonly associated with self-injury. An improvement in these symptoms may help you feel less compelled to hurt yourself.
Psychiatric hospitalization
If you injure yourself severely or repeatedly, your doctor may recommend admission for psychiatric hospitalization. Hospitalization can provide a safe environment and more intensive treatment until you get through a crisis. Day treatment programs also may be an option.
