self-mutilation

noun

1. the act or an instance of mutilating oneself

Example Sentences

For example, in 2017 the state of New Jersey passed legislation expressly prohibiting the housing of “vulnerable populations in solitary confinement,” which included prisoners with a history of mental illness or those exhibiting recent conduct like self-mutilation.

From Slate

The 16 performances represented in the gallery by videos, photographs and drawings include more than a decade of ordeals of endurance and self-mutilation, in which the often-stoic artist evokes the brutal history of colonialism, racism and enslavement.

From New York Times

Monkeys kept as pets and made to perform tricks suffer from psychological trauma that manifests in extreme aggression, repetitive movements, and self-mutilation, as well as physical damage that may be irreversible, she says.

From National Geographic

It’s just self-mutilation and destruction on a larger stage than the Jim Jones electric Kool Aid cyanide test.

From Salon

A number of lawsuits nationally have targeted the conditions of solitary confinement, saying that the treatment of incarcerated people there has led to psychiatric episodes of self-mutilation and death due to lack of adequate care.

From Seattle Times