Citation

Hooley JM, Fox KR, Boccagno C. Neuropsychiatr. Dis. Treat. 2020; 16: 101-112.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Dove Press)

DOI

10.2147/NDT.S198806

PMID

32021203

PMCID

PMC6959491

Abstract

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) involves deliberate and intentional injury to body tissue that occurs in the absence of suicidal intent. Typical examples here might include self-cutting, burning, or self-hitting. Behavior of this kind is fundamentally unsettling as well as perplexing. It is also the case that self-harming behavior of any kind runs counter to a fundamental survival instinct. In the past, behaviors such as these were viewed as self-mutilation and considered to be a form of attenuated suicide. Much has changed over time, culminating in the entry of NSSI Disorder into DSM-5 as a condition in need of further study. In this review we describe the evolution of the NSSI construct and consider current issues in its diagnosis and assessment.

© 2020 Hooley et al.

Language: en

Keywords

DSM-5; NSSI disorder; diagnosis; nonsuicidal self-injury; NSSI; self-harm; suicide