Self-inflicted wound explained

A self-inflicted wound (SIW) or self-inflicted injury (SII) is a physical injury done to oneself. This may occur in contexts including:

• Suicide or suicide attempt^[1]
• Self-harm (non-suicidal self-injury)^[1]
• As a result of an organic brain syndrome
• Pursuit of an ulterior motive, including:
  • To avoid military service^[2]
• Self-surgery,^[3] including:
  • Autoenucleation
  • Self-inflicted caesarean section
  • Self-castration^[4]
• Body modification, including for ritual purposes^[2]
• Autoeroticism^[3]

While some sources use the terms to include accidental injury,^[5] others cast "self-inflicted" in opposition to "accidental".^{[6] [7] [8]}

The term is also used metaphorically, akin to "shooting oneself in the foot".

Notes and References

1. Crowell . Sheila E. . Kaufman . Erin A. . Development of self-inflicted injury: Comorbidities and continuities with borderline and antisocial personality traits . Development and Psychopathology . November 2016 . 28 . 4pt1 . 1071–1088 . 10.1017/S0954579416000705 . 27739385 . 25928512 . 28 August 2023 . . Self-inflicted injury (SII) ... includes both suicidal and nonsuicidal self-harm behaviors.
2. Book: Favazza . Armando R. . Bodies Under Siege: Self-mutilation, Nonsuicidal Self-injury, and Body Modification in Culture and Psychiatry . 2011 . JHU Press . 9781421401119.
3. David . Joshua A. . Rifkin . William J. . Chiu . Ernest S. . Current Management of Self-Inflicted Wounds in Surgery: A Critical Review . Annals of Plastic Surgery . December 2018 . 81 . 6S . S79–S88 . 10.1097/SAP.0000000000001706. 30383582 . 53281359 .
4. Johnson . Thomas W. . Irwig . Michael S. . The hidden world of self-castration and testicular self-injury . Nature Reviews Urology . May 2014 . 11 . 5 . 297–300 . 10.1038/nrurol.2014.84. 24709968 . 7910868 .
5. Carter . Gary L . Accidental firearms fatalities and injuries among recreational hunters . Annals of Emergency Medicine . April 1989 . 18 . 4 . 406–409 . 10.1016/S0196-0644(89)80581-5. 2650592 .
6. Pompermaier . L . Elmasry . M . Steinvall . I . Self-inflicted burns in a National Swedish Burn Centre: an overview. . Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters . 31 December 2019 . 32 . 4 . 272–277 . 32431576. 7197916 .
7. Turco . Lauren . Cornell . David L. . Phillips . Bradley . Penetrating Bihemispheric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Collective Review of Gunshot Wounds to the Head . World Neurosurgery . August 2017 . 104 . 653–659 . 10.1016/j.wneu.2017.05.068. 28532914 .
8. Clous . Emile . Beerthuizen . Kimberly . Ponsen . Kees Jan . Luitse . Jan . Olff . Miranda . Goslings . Carel . Trauma and psychiatric disorders: A systematic review . Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery . April 2017 . 82 . 4 . 794–801 . 10.1097/TA.0000000000001371 . free . 28129262 . Some studies that focused on patients with self-inflicted injury revealed that mortality in this group is higher than for patients who sustain unintentional injury..