ychopathology and dysfunction, little is understood about the nature of the problem. Limitations are found at the descriptive and theoretical levels of inquiry. Aspects and age of onset are not established and research is focused on the description of psychosocial constructs that are associated with SMB. Studies show that SMB patients are associated with higher scores on measures of depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, anger, aggressiveness, impulsiveness, loneliness, social isolation, hopelessness, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Kress (2003) also reported that assessment and diagnosis of self-injurious behavior (SIB) is fraught with varied definitions, descriptions, and names for this behavior. SIB is defined by this author as volitional acts to harm the body with no intent to die. Classification of SIB according to the DSM-IV diagnostic categories includes four categories that correspond to mental disorders: Stereotypic SIB, Major SIB, Compulsive SIB, and Impulsive SIB.
Classifications or Categories for Self-Injurious Behavior
Stereotypic SIB includes head banging, self-hitting, and face slapping, hand and lip chewing, self-biting, and hair pulling. These behaviors are typically found in those with organic mental disorders to include mental retardation and developmental delay. In these cases the behaviors are organically based and biologically driven. The behaviors are repetitive and result in mild to severe tissue damage. Disorders associated with stereotypic SIB include Tourette's syndrome, Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, autism, mental retardation, temporal lobe epilepsy, and Cornelia de Lange (Kress, 2003).
Major SIB includes more life-threatening behaviors such as castration, eye enucleating, and limb amputation. These behaviors are associated with those suffering from severe psychosis, severe character disorder, or intoxication. These behaviors differ from other forms of SIB since they involve disrup...