Self-Harming Behaviour and Its Comorbidities

Abstract

Self-harming behavior represents a clinically significant and multifaceted phenomenon that frequently co-occurs with a broad spectrum of psychiatric conditions; however, data on its comorbidities within the Slovak population remain scarce. The present exploratory study aimed to provide an overview of the prevalence of mental disorders among individuals engaging in self-harm, to examine potential sex differences in comorbidity patterns, and to explore associations between age and the occurrence of selected comorbidities. Data were collected from 135 psychologists and psychiatrists, each reporting on one self-harming client (N = 135; 85.2% women; age range 12–55 years), using an anonymous checklist based on the DSM-5 diagnostic framework, supplemented with additional clinically relevant categories. Due to non-normal distribution and unequal group sizes, non-parametric statistical procedures were applied. The results indicated that self-harm rarely occurred in isolation and was most frequently associated with relational problems in the family, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, suicidal behavior disorder, and personality disorders. Positive associations with age were observed for personality disorders, depressive disorders, substance-related and addictive disorders, and abuse and neglect. Sex differences emerged in several domains, largely reflecting established epidemiological trends. These findings underscore the necessity of comprehensive, multidimensional clinical assessment of individuals who self-harm, while also highlighting the need for longitudinal and methodologically rigorous research to clarify developmental mechanisms and causal relationships underlying psychiatric comorbidity in self-harming populations.