Suicide and Self-Harm, Linkages to Violence Risk

Suicide refers to the act of intentionally taking one’s own life. Self-harm is the act of intentionally injuring oneself. Although self-harm, such as intentionally cutting oneself, can be associated with suicidal ideation, it is also known to be an impulsive behavior used by many as a way of attempting to cope with emotional pain. The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reported that, in 2013, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States for all ages. In 2103, there were over 40,000 suicides in the United States and more than 9 million adults reported having suicidal thoughts at some point during that same year. Suicide has been estimated to cost more than US$50 billion in combined medical and work loss. ...