What is self-injury?

Self-injury is any behavior that causes deliberate,

physical damage to ones own body without suicidal
intent. Self-injury encompasses a variety of behaviors
such as:
Cutting
Burning
Hitting
Head banging
Ingesting sharp objects or toxic substances
Bone-breaking
Self-cutting is the most common form of self-injury and
may range from supercial scratches to deep gashes.
Why do people self-injure?
There are many reasons for self-injurious behavior and
these vary from person to person. Most people who
self-injure use self-injury to calm or distract themselves
when they are emotionally distressed. The pain and
physical expression of their distress provide a sense of
relief. They may self-injure to cope with depression,
anger, anxiety, or other unpleasant and intense feelings.
Self-injurers often have difculty verbalizing their
feelings and drawing emotional support from others.
The injuries may serve to communicate emotional
distress either to oneself, as a way of validating and
externalizing an emotional experience, or to others, as a
way of asking for help, or both.
Some people who self-injure have suffered physical and/
or sexual abuse, but there are also many who havent.
Not having such trauma in your past does NOT make
your emotional pain any less real or legitimate than
anyone elses.
What risks are involved with self-injury?
Some people injure themselves occasionally in
response to intense emotional distress while others
do so frequently and become preoccupied with the
behavior. For some individuals, self-injurious behavior
can have addictive qualities where the frequency and
severity of injuries are increased over time in order to
experience the same level of relief. Risks of self-injurious
behavior include permanent scarring, infection, and
death. Roughly one in ve self-injurers has made a lifethreatening self-inicted injury without meaning to.

What help is available on the UC Davis campus?

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
Cowell Student Health Center
The House
Residence Halls
Womens Resource and Research Center
CAPS offers the following condential services:
Individual evaluation
Brief individual psychotherapy
Psychiatric consultation and medication evaluation
Brief psycho-educational groups
Long-term group psychotherapy
Referral for long-term individual psychotherapy and
individual inpatient treatment programs
Consultation to faculty, staff, and students
Educational programs
Referral and coordination of treatment with health
providers at Cowell Student Health Center
You can schedule an intake with a counselor or there
are walk-in services available from 8:00am to 4:30pm,
Monday-Friday at CAPS, 219 North Hall. For an
appointment, call 752-0871.
Condentiality Agreements
If you decide to seek counseling from CAPS, you will be
asked to sign a consent to counseling form containing
the statement: State law requires that health and mental
health professionals report certain situations, such as
suspicion of child or elder abuse, or serious danger to
self or others. Your self-injurious behavior will not be
reported unless you are harming yourself to the extent
that your injuries may become life-threatening or you
are seriously contemplating suicide. Your self-injury will
not be disclosed to anyone other than counseling staff
and healthcare professionals involved in your treatment.
Cowell Student Health Center offers the following
condential services:
Medical examination and treatment for injuries
Referral and coordination of treatment with CAPS
staff who provide psychological assessment and
intervention
Educational programs, peer education and referrals
provided by Health Advocate peers.

What happens if I go to the Cowell Student Health

Center (CSHC) with a self-inicted injury?
Physical treatment for your injury will be administered
the same way as treatment for accidental injuries; this
includes the use of anesthetic when appropriate. You
should at all times be treated with respect and sensitivity.
Once your physical injury is treated, depending on the
severity of your injury and emotional state, you might
be referred for a psychological assessment. Between 8am
and 5pm on weekdays, the assessment may be done
in the CSHC or at CAPS by a counselor from CAPS. If
your injury is treated at the CSHC after 5pm or on the
weekend and your injury is not life-threatening, the
campus police (or one of your friends, if you prefer) may
take you to Sutter Hospital for a psychological assessment.
CAPS Services / Psychological Assessment
CAPS psychologists may be contacted to help you
explain the reasons for your self injury. During the
course of your assessment, CAPS staff will ask you
about the circumstances surrounding the injury you
were treated for, why you injure yourself, how you are
feeling, and if you have been having suicidal thoughts.
Some of these things may be hard for you to talk about,
this is not uncommon, and the people treating you
should be sensitive to this. They may also talk with you
about healthier ways to cope with upsetting feelings,
situations, and thoughts. If you are deemed to be at
risk of causing serious harm to yourself or others,
you may be temporarily hospitalized until a future
assessment nds you are no longer at risk. You may
also be hospitalized if you are under the inuence of
drugs or alcohol at the time you are treated, pending
an accurate assessment. Information about your selfinjury and mental health will be kept condential
and shared only with professionals involved in your
treatment. Your parents may be informed of your selfinjury or hospitalization if you are under 18 and need
to be hospitalized or if you are incapable of providing
information necessary for your treatment. Unless you are
unconscious or otherwise incapable of giving consent,
your consent will be required before your parents are
contacted if you are over 18.
If you are currently seeing a therapist, you will be
referred to her/him for continued treatment.

Resources

This brochure is meant to provide a general idea of what

might happen if you seek treatment for a self-inicted
injury. The course of treatment can vary considerably
depending on your emotional state, the severity of your
injuries, the risk of causing serious harm to yourself, and
your treatment history.

Books: These are available through the UC library

system or the Davis Branch Library
A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language
of Pain by Marilee Strong

Living on the Razors Edge by Matthew Selekman

The Scarred Soul: Understanding and Ending SelfInicted Violence: A Self-Help Guide by Tracy
Alderman, Ph.D.
Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Healing Program for SelfInjurers by Karen Conterio and Wendy Lader, Ph.D.

Residence Halls
Directors and Resident Advisors are trained to provide
supportive assistance and appropriate referral. Contact
your area coordinators or resident advisor for a
condential consultation.

When the Body is the Target by Sharon Farber

Bodies Under Seige by Armando Favazza

Emergency Resources
At UC Davis:
Counseling and Psychological
Services (CAPS) ............................(530) 752-0871

Womens Resource and Research Center

Campus referrals
Community therapist binder
A safe environment
You can visit the WRRC on the 1st oor of North Hall
between 8am and 5pm, Monday-Friday.

Cowell Student Health Center ................(530) 752-2300

Understanding
Self-Injury and
Finding Resources
at UC Davis

Community:
County Mobile Crisis
Daytime..................................................(530) 757-5530

ces &
l Scien ilding
Socia
Bu
nities
Huma

Cutting by Steven Levenkron

The House offers the following condential services:

Brief peer counseling
Referral assistance
Educational programs
For services at The House, (TB 16) across from Regan
Hall, call 752-2790.

Qua
Nor th

Night/Weekend ......................................(530) 666-8515

Suicide Prevention
Davis ......................................................(530) 756-5000
Woodland ..............................................(530) 666-7778

rial
Memo
io
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U n

Available 24 hours:
Sutter-Davis Hospital ..............................(530) 756-6440

South
Hall
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CAPS is located on the

second floor of North
Hall in room 219

Hall
Young

Woodland Memorial Hospital ................(530) 662-3961

Version 10.3.2005

University of California, Davis

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