My body and me: self-injurious behaviors and body modifications in eating disorders--preliminary results.

We investigated self-injurious behaviors and body modification practices in eating disorder patients, considering different ED diagnoses and illness severities. Of the total sample, 50.9% showed at least one form of self-injury and 50.9% reported at least one tattoo, piercing, or both. Patients reporting only body modifications showed more positive feelings toward their bodies, higher levels of self-esteem, less impulsivity, depression, and anxiety, and lower levels of social dysfunction than those reporting only self-injury or both self-injury and body modifications. Self-injury was influenced by both diagnosis and severity of disorders.