Citation

Wilkinson PO. JAMA Psychiatry 2018; 75(8): 786-787.

Affiliation

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1079

PMID

29926089

Abstract

Self-harm is a highly common behavior in adolescents, which is associated with future attempted suicide, completed suicide, and onset of mental illness.1 It is associated with significant distress (both as a cause and as an outcome) and social impairment.2 It is therefore essential that we provide effective treatment. Self-harm is a hazardous behavior that can occur in young people with any mental disorder and in young people with no psychiatric diagnosis.2 This demonstrates the need for specific treatments aimed at adolescent self-harm, which may confer additional benefits, on top of treatments aimed at the underlying disorder. This is particularly true for young people who do not meet strict criteria for any psychiatric illness but do have impairing self-harm.

Language: en