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Abstract
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Introduction
Non-suicidal self-injury is defined as an intentional injury to one's body without a desire to cause death (1). It may involve acts that include, but are not limited to, damaging one's own skin and self-poisoning for purposes that are not socially sanctioned (2). In this article, the term "non-suicidal self-injury" (NSSI) and its acronym NSSI are preferred because it is a diagnostic entity in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (3). NSSI usually follows a behavioral cycle. It often begins with negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, or stress. These emotions can trigger the urge to engage in NSSI, as individuals use self-harm as a coping mechanism to regulate their emotions (4). This can then trigger a new cycle of negative emotions, vulnerability factors, urges, and self-injury. Breaking the cycle of NSSI can be challenging and often requires the support of mental health professionals and the development of healthy coping mechanisms to regulate negative emotions (5).
NSSI epidemiology
While the lifetime prevalence of NSSI varies widely, it is highest in adolescents (6-8). This is thought to be due to biological changes during puberty, which is confirmed by the typical onset of NSSI at 12-14 years of age (9). Reports of NSSI have been found to decrease as adolescents get older, suggesting that adolescence is the most important period for intervention (10). Franzen et al. report that NSSI accounts for most emergency admissions to child and adolescent psychiatry (11).
There are reports that present NSSI as a coping strategy to manage emotional dysregulation (12, 13). The causes of NSSI are multifactorial and include neurobiological, psychological, and environmental factors, while risk factors for NSSI in adolescents include low health literacy, adverse childhood experiences, and bullying (14, 15). Oliveira Costa and colleagues postulated that NSSI is used as a coping strategy for emotional dysregulation that provides immediate relief, which can lead to a repetitive pattern of self-injurious behavior (16). In addition, the prevalence of NSSI among adolescents was reported to have increased after the COVID-19 pandemic (17). This is significant because it was reported that the increase in NSSI repetitions would lead to higher risk behaviors such as suicide
Language: en |