Deliberate self-harm and the consumption of psy- choactive substances are important public health problems among adolescents. To determine the association of deliberate self-harm with the consumption of psychoactive substances, in school adolescents in Colombia. A survey about deliberate self harm and psychoactive substance use during the last 12 months was answered by 80 018 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years. The prevalence of deliberate self-harm in the last 12 months was 14.1%. The use of psychoactive drugs was associated with deliberate self-harm. The greatest association was observed with the use of non-prescription tranquilizers (Odds ratio 4.05 95% confidence intervals 3.42-4.81). We observed an association between deliberate self-harm and the consumption of different psychoactive substances.