Alternatively, the behaviour could be driven by a chemical imbalance, and then treating the child with appropriate medications may be a perfect answer. There is a theory that children who injure themselves do so to release opiate-like chemicals in the brain. Naltrexone is a medication that inhibits the release of these opiate-like chemicals in the brain and the belief is that this will remove the reason for the selfinjury.
How do young people harm themselves? Cutting or scratching (arms, legs etc) Banging, head banging or bruising Biting oneself Picking at skin Hair-pulling Scrubbing with abrasives, such as bleach Swallowing harmful substances. Starving, anorexia, and bulimia Reasons why young people self-harm Young people often cannot explain why they self-harm, especially when the selfharm itself is a means of communicating what cannot easily be put into words or even into thoughts (it has been described as an inner scream). Self-harm is a way of expressing very deep distress. Afterwards, people feel better able to cope with life again, for a while. Self-harm can be a way to help someone to cope with painful emotions that threaten to overwhelm them such as: Rage Sadness Emptiness Grief Self-hatred Fear Loneliness Guilt It is rarely one single event or experience that causes a young person to self-harm, but a multi-faceted combination. Research has shown that the experiences most closely linked to self-harm in young people are: Mental health problems (including hopelessness and depression) 18