Depression and self harm. Health, Medicine, Nursing Research Paper

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Depression and Self-Harm
Depression refers to distinctive psychological, mood or emotional state which affects a person’s feelings, thoughts and actions leading to sadness, loss of interest and low self-esteem for an extended period of time (American Psychiatric Association). The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that depression affects more than 264 million people globally making the leader as the cause for disability. In the US, the disease affects more than 7% of the population most of who are youths between 13-29 and can be attributed to various biological, psychological, and environmental factors (Watson). Depression is linked to both suicide and self-harm with almost 800,000 annual fatalities indicating the significance of addressing the issue of self-harm before its progression (WHO). Anxiety and depression diagnosis increases the propensity of self-harm and later suicide with 17% of adolescents engaging in self-harm, which refers the indulgence in physical pain as a way to release depressive emotions (Pulsetms.com). It assumes different forms like cutting, burning, and mutilations but is not usually motivated by suicide also it is an indication of its likelihood (Hendrick, p. 6). Understanding the various factors causing self-harm can help parents, teachers and health officials address the Signiant social endemic especially among adolescents and youth.
Propensity Factors to Self-Harm
One of the aspects that distinguishes self-harm and suicide is that it is solely adopted as a way to process negative feelings and not consciously kill oneself (Serani). Self-harm is more evident among young people between 15-28 and registers as third killer in the age group caused by depression, anxiety, and drug use (Singhal et al., p. 194). Some of the factors that lead to the increasing cases of self-har among children and youth include bullying at school, lack of parental care, and poverty (Stallard et al., p. 2). Women are also more likely to self-harm compared to men with a similar pattern in schoolboys and girls by more than 8% (Singhal et al., p 200; Stallard et al., p.2). This may be due to sexual abuse and the susceptibility to postpartum, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which only affect women. This may also be affected by women’s reliance on professional help fir depression, which helps in collecting data (Serani). Chronic disease like asthma, diabetes, cance...