Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents and Adults

Course overview

Self-injury is a serious behavioral problem in which an individual purposefully inflicts damage to his or her body through methods such as cutting, scratching, burning, or other activities in the absence of suicidal intent. Research indicates high prevalence rates of self-injury, with between 13% and 45% of adolescents reporting having purposely self-injured at least once, and 4% to 28% of adult clinical populations reporting a lifetime occurrence of the behavior (Bentley, et al., 2014; Plener et al., 2016). Common methods of self-injury include skin cutting, scratching to the point of drawing blood, head banging or hitting, burning, and inserting sharp objects into the skin, among other methods. This behavior can result in serious medical complications and is a known risk factor for later suicidal behavior.