Self-Harm Treatment Center for Children & Adolescents in Missouri

Learn More About Treatment for Self-Harm at Lakeland Behavioral Health System in Missouri

Self-harm is a deliberate act to harm oneself without the end goal of suicide. Most people who engage in self-harm do not have the desire to die, but in extreme cases when self-injury goes wrong, death can be the end result. Other names for this type of behavior include: Self-mutilation, cutting, burning, and self-injury. Cutting is the most common form of self-injury, but different methods are also used. Additional methods may include: burning oneself, drinking poison, picking at scabs or cuts, not allowing cuts to heal, and hitting the head or body on pieces of furniture.

Self-harm is a way in which someone copes with emotional pain they are experiencing. Cutting can be a way of expressing or coping with deeply stressful life situations which an individual does not know how to otherwise handle. Feelings of emptiness, self-loathing, emotional pain, guilt, and anger can all lead to self-harm. At the time, self-harm can cause distraction from life events or a release of emotional pain. However, after self-injury, some individuals report feeling guilty and shameful. Most people who self-injure do wish to stop this behavior but do not know how.

At Lakeland, we understand that right now you have questions or circumstances going on in your life that you feel are unmanageable and that you may not see an end to the emotional suffering you are going through. Please reach out to us and get the help you need today.

Why Consider Treatment for Self-Harm at Lakeland Behavioral Health System in Missouri

We know that the idea of an inpatient treatment center may seem terrifying, but when an individual’s behaviors become a high risk of physical harm to themselves or others, immediate intervention may be necessary. An inpatient treatment clinic may be the safest and most effective option to treat your self-harming behavior. While self-injury is not a deliberate suicide attempt, it is an act that is used to relieve emotional pain. If not properly treated, it can lead to small injuries or death depending on the severity of the injury. Additionally, an individual who is engaging in this type of behavior may become socially withdrawn in an attempt to hide it from others. This can lead to depression, anxiety, and worsening of overall well-being. In order to prevent further damage treatment should be sought immediately.

Our acute care services are designed to provide a lot of treatment so that our patients can get better and leave inpatient treatment with the tools needed to help them along in the therapeutic process. At Lakeland’s behavioral health treatment center, we are so much more than just stabilization –we jumpstart the treatment process. We provide our patients with confidential and personalized treatment plans that will effectively help them overcome their self-mutilating behaviors. Our multidisciplinary approach includes a variety of different therapeutic techniques that will help educate patients and their family on their specific condition and learn more effective coping skills.

Lakeland Behavioral Health System’s Philosophy and Benefits

At Lakeland Behavioral Health in Missouri, we provide high-quality treatment for emotional and behavioral disorders in a residential and acute hospital setting. Each day it is our goal to provide the best possible care and most effective treatment to our patients as well as their family. We are dedicated to being an outstanding provider of quality, safe, and cost-effective psychiatric services that meet the needs of children, adolescents, young adults, seniors, and their families in the communities we serve. We have years of experience helping thousands of patients get past troubled times and get back to a state of emotional well-being. Our compassionate staff is completely dedicated to helping individuals change their lives so that they are better equipped to function in their home environments.

Types of Treatment for Self-Harm Offered at Lakeland Behavioral Health System in Missouri

Before the treatment process can begin, each potential patient will undergo a complete medical and psychiatric evaluation that will help us to determine your specialized needs. Our treatment team is made up of psychiatrists, psychologists, pharmacists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, clinical dietitians, and a recreational therapist all trained to provide you with the best possible care. Upon intake, patients are matched up with a therapist that an allied coordinator believes would work best for them, since each therapist has different specialties. Your therapist, along with other members of the treatment team, will work with you to create and implement an individualized treatment plan. Some of the following techniques may be used in your treatment.

Medication Management: Many times patients need to be initially placed on medication to help control the symptoms of their self-harming behavior until they are able to learn more effective coping strategies. Often when these new life skills are learned, medication use is able to be decreased or even eliminated. Sometimes medications are used to treat the symptoms of a co-occurring disorder and may need to be used for a longer term. All medication use will be monitored and altered if necessary.

Individual Therapy: This type of therapy is used to allow patients time with a therapist so they can delve deeper into the issues that may have caused them to start self-harming behaviors. Individual sessions are a chance for an individual to discuss issues of great emotional pain that they may not feel comfortable discussing in a group.

Group Therapy: We offer different types of groups at Lakeland’s mental health clinic in order to promote an atmosphere of healing where individuals can gain support from others who are struggling with similar issues. Group time is spent educating patients about their condition and other topics such as medication. Additionally, group sessions are used for coping skills, life skills training, and anger management.

We also have additional non-traditional approaches to help you return to your former level of functioning and improve your quality of life. Depending on your treatment plan, you may be involved in some of the following activities:

• Art therapy
• Music therapy
• Pet therapy
• Play therapy
• School programming
• Full kitchen with cooking classes
• Therapeutic exercise

Continuing Care and Levels of Treatment for Self-Harm

When you have completed the inpatient program here at Lakeland’s treatment center you will work alongside a discharge planner to create an aftercare plan that will ensure that your continued needs will be met. Our extensive discharge planning will not only assess the most appropriate next step for your treatment but will also link you and your family to essential community resources. If additional treatment is needed, then we will help you to identify the most appropriate treatment option. For some, this may be a Residential Program or a less intense Partial Hospitalization or Intensive Outpatient Therapy. These options differ in the amount of supervision and treatment hours held each week.

If it has been determined that you are ready to return home from Lakeland in Missouri, we will work with you and your family members to make sure that medication is under control and that better coping skills are put into place.