@article{ref1,
title="Clinical management of deliberate self-harm in young people: the need for evidence-based approaches to reduce repetition",
journal="Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry",
year="2005",
author="Burns, J. and Dudley, Michael and Hazell, P. and Patton, George",
volume="39",
number="3",
pages="121-128",
abstract="Objective: To examine the evidence for the effectiveness of clinical interventions designed to reduce the repetition of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in adolescents and young adults. Methods: Electronic databases were searched for papers describing randomised and clinical control trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies of interventions targeting adolescents and young adults presenting to clinical services following DSH or suicidal ideation. Results: Three RCTs, four clinical control trials and three quasi-experimental studies were identified. Group therapy, trialled in a RCT, was the only specific programme which led to a significant reduction in rates of repetition of self-harm. Attendance at follow-up did not improve significantly regardless of the intervention, while one clinically controlled trial of intensive intervention resulted in poorer attendance at follow-up. One quasi-experimental study of family therapy resulted in a significant reduction in suicidal ideation. Conclusions: The evidence base for treatments designed to reduce the repetition of self-harm in adolescents and young adults is very limited. Expensive interventions such as intensive aftercare offer no clear benefit over routine aftercare. Given that deliberate self-harm among young people is a common clinical problem further good quality treatment studies are warranted. Careful consideration should be given to process evaluation to determine which individual components of any given intervention are effective.",
language="",
issn="0004-8674",
doi="10.1111/j.1440-1614.2005.01532.x",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-1614.2005.01532.x"
}