Self injury information available online, but rarely accurate

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Keywords related to self-injury were searched more than 42 million times in the past year, according to a new study, but what those searches turned up was mostly myths and misinformation. Researchers cataloged and analyzed websites related to nonsuicidal self-injury – which is physically injuring oneself intentionally without attempting suicide – and found less than 10 percent of the sites were endorsed by health or academic institutions. “For many people it’s a first step and if what they’re getting is poor quality that’s a bit worrisome,” said lead author Stephen Lewis, from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Guelph in Canada. He and his colleagues write in JAMA Pediatrics that between 14 and 21 percent of teens and young adults engage in nonsuicidal self-injury.