Nonsuicidal self-injury (nssi) in children and adolescents

[Vania]

Nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors can include superficial scratching, cutting, or burning the skin (using cigarettes or curling irons), as well as stabbing, hitting, and repeated rubbing of the skin with an eraser or salt.
In some communities, self-injurious behaviors suddenly sweep through a high school in fad-like fashion and then gradually diminish over time. Such behaviors are often associated with illicit substance abuse and suggest that an adolescent is in great distress.
In many adolescents, these behaviors do not indicate suicidality but instead are self-punishing actions that they may feel they deserve; these behaviors are used to gain the attention of parents and/or significant others, express anger, or identify with a peer group. However, these adolescents, especially those who have used multiple methods of self-harm, have an increased risk of suicide (1).
All self-injurious behaviors should be evaluated by a clinician experienced in working with troubled adolescents to assess whether suicidality is an issue and to identify the underlying distress leading to the self-injurious behaviors.