ABSTRACT
Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is defined as those behaviors that involve the deliberate infliction of direct physical harm to one’s own body without the intent to die as a result of the behavior itself (Simeon & Hollander, 2001). Some SIB may be considered “direct,” such as skin cutting or severe nail biting, while other types of self-aggressive behaviors are “indirect” (e.g., alcoholism or heavy cigarette smoking; Favazza, 1996). Although in the literature there is an increasing interest in the whole spectrum of SIB, the epidemiology of these phenomena is generally unknown (Favazza, 1998; Simeon & Hollander, 2001).
