Teenagers with eating disorders should be screened for self-injury behaviors, according to a new study from Stanford University.
Lead author Rebecca Peebles and her colleagues asked young people under treatment for eating disorders at the Lucille Packard Children's Hospital if they had ever harmed themselves intentionally, by cutting, embedding objects under their skin, burning, and other means. Over 40% said they had done so.
Peebles noted that most young patients will not discuss this behavior unless their therapists or doctors ask them about it directly.
"In clinical practice, kids are fairly open when you engage them. They will come in wearing long sleeves or hiding the marks on their inner thighs. But when you ask them directly, they are usually willing to discuss the behavior," she said.
The study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Labels: self-esteem, self-harm
Posted By: Jane St. Clair