Crisis and Management

It’s the ‘in’ thing among some teen circles – inserting objects into the skin or muscle. It’s called ‘embedding’, and a recent study has linked it to suicidal thoughts and several forms of psychiatric disorders.

The act of self-harming is not common, of course, but the study says that nearly everyone who indulge in it suffer from bipolar issues.

“There’s clearly a more severe intent to hurt themselves than cutting,” a report quoted William Shiels, a radiologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, as saying.

“Inserting a 16 cm paperclip — not just to do that on one arm, but both arms — the intent that’s required to cause that much self harm is significant,” Shiels said.

The pain one inflicts upon oneself through ‘embedding’ is supposed to provide some kind of psychological relief, though not an imminent act leading to suicide, the researchers said.

Shiels, a co-author of the report plans to set up a national registry to get a clearer idea about the number and profiles of people who indulge in ‘embedding’, the report said.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 11th, 2011 at 8:38 pm and is filed under Addictions, Health, Medical Attention, Stress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.