Citation

Lee HJ. Psychiatry Investig. 2019; 16(4): e255.

Affiliation

Chronobiology Institute, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Korean Neuropsychiatric Association)

DOI

10.30773/pi.2019.03.29

PMID

31042689

Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a deliberate and repetitive self-harmful act aimed at destroying one’s own body. Common NSSI behaviors include cutting, carving skin, burning skin, or deliberate fracture. Sometimes, self-injuries can be easily hidden or regarded as accidents, such as lip biting, falling, or kicking the edge of furniture. NSSI has been increasing rapidly in adolescents and young adults in South Korea in recent years. In 2018, the Korean Ministry of Education conducted a nationwide survey of middle and high school students’ emotional and behavioral characteristics. For the question “Have you ever engaged in self-harm?” 4,055 out of 513,710 middle school students (7.9%) answered they had some experience of self-harm. Next, out of 452,107 high school students, 20,906 (6.4%) had experienced a lower percentage than middle school students [1]. Self-harm is spreading like a virus. Social networking services are increasingly showing pictures and videos containing scenes with self-injury. In psychiatric clinics, more cases of self-harm are being reported than in the past. Even if there is no suicide intention, scarring creates cosmetic problems, and repeated self-injuries may lead to serious suicidal behavior [2]. Therefore, understanding the epidemiology and psychopathology of self-injurious behavior is important for its prevention and treatment.

Thus, the study on validation of the Korean version of the Inventory of Statements about Self-Injury (ISAS) in this issue of Psychiatry Investigation is meaningful for understanding the psychopathology of NSSI in Korean young adults

Language: en