What can I look out for...
To identify key features of substance abuse? • Not knowing when to stop drinking. Different people can consume different amounts of alcohol. If you often pass out after drinking, that is a sign of not knowing your limit. • Spending most of your money on alcohol. If you find that you are spending more money on drugs or alcohol than on your daily necessities, that is a call for concern. • Missing important events because you are are drunk or high. • Mistreating people who are concerned about you. • Being frequently involved in risky situations because you are too intoxicated to make good judgements. • Behaving in an uncharacteristic way. This could include being aggressive, overly emotional or any other way that is not a usual behaviour. • Having abnormal and/or sudden changes in mood.
3.3 Self-harm and suicide What is self-harm? Self-harm is also known as self-injury or self-mutilation. As these names suggest, selfharm occurs when someone intentionally and repeatedly harms themselves in a way that is impulsive and not intended to be lethal. The most common methods of self-harm are skin cutting, head banging and hitting (e.g., punching a wall). What is suicide? Suicide is the most extreme form of self-harm, and it ends in the person intentionally taking their own life. Most people who die by suicide have a mental or emotional disorder. The most common underlying disorder is depression. Although the majority of people who have depression do not die by suicide, having depression does increase suicide risk compared to people without depression. The risk of death by suicide may be related to the severity of the depression.
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