self-harm

American  

[self-hahrm] / ˈsɛlfˈhɑrm /

noun

1. Formerly self-mutilation.  Also called self-injury.  deliberate nonsuicidal injury to one’s own body tissue, as cutting or burning the skin, or pulling out hair, in a physical manifestation of emotional distress.

   Self-harm, eating disorders, and substance abuse were reported among victims of bullying.

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verb (used without object)

1. to hurt oneself deliberately, without suicidal intention, as a physical manifestation of emotional distress.

   I self-harm to release the anxiety, but then I feel so much shame that I have to self-harm again to relieve that.

self-harm British  

noun

1. the practice of cutting or otherwise wounding oneself, usually considered as indicating psychological disturbance

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Other Word Forms

• self-harming
  noun

Etymology

Origin of self-harm

First recorded in 1610–20 self-harm for def. 1 and in 1940–45 self-harm for def. 2; self- ( def. ) + harm ( def. )

Example Sentences

An automated system at OpenAI reviews user chats and alerts employees to potentially serious cases when someone appears to be using ChatGPT for violence, threats, self-harm or other cases that violate OpenAI’s rules.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

Instead of disallowing conversations about “imminent real-world harm” and self-harm, it placed them in a category in which the model was instructed to simply “take extra care” with users.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

"Tailoring care to people's needs is a key aim in our new mental health and wellbeing strategy and suicide prevention and self-harm strategy," they said.

From BBC • May 15, 2025

The AI system also has to recognize the difference between a person expressing suicidal thoughts versus a person asking for advice on how to help a friend who is engaging in self-harm.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2025

Character.ai told CBS News it had protections specifically focused on suicidal and self-harm behaviours and that it would be introducing more stringent safety features for under-18s "imminently".

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2024