MedicineNet.com
Originally published on May 25, 2012
Doctors have long known that some kids suffering severe emotional turmoil find relief in physical pain -- cutting or burning or sticking themselves with pins to achieve a form of release.
But researchers now are questioning whether enough is being done to reach out to these young people and help them before they do themselves irreparable damage.
One study this year found that six of every 10 adolescents who went to an emergency room for treatment after harming themselves were released without receiving a mental health assessment or any follow-up mental health care. The findings were reported in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Here is a link to the summary of this article.
The original research is below.
by Jeffrey Bridge, Steven Marcus, and Mark Olfson
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Volume 51, Issue 2 , Pages 213-222.e1, February 2012