THE ROLE OF THE NURSE IN THE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN WITH NON-SUICIDAL SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOUR, AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AND FEATURES OF THE APPLICATION OF THERAPY IN THE CHILD PSYCHIATRY DEPARTMENT

Abstract

In some children, many forms of non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour and varying degrees of autism spectrum disorders can be encountered during the process of growing up. Because of the risk of additional injury or unsuccessful integration into the social environment, the child often requires hospitalisation in the Department of Adolescent and Child Psychiatry. From the nurse’s viewpoint, it is very important to adopt the correct approach and subsequent treatment throughout the child’s hospitalisation. This article presents non-suicidal self-injurious behaviour, autism spectrum disorders and the role of the nurse in the treatment of the hospitalised child. In the article, we used the descriptive work method. We included professional and scientific literature from the Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and COBBISS data-bases. We used the following key words and phrases: autoagression, mental disorder, self-injury, non-suicidal behaviour, application of therapy, autism spectrum disorders and comorbidity. Nurses with the appropriate knowledge can assure the hospitalised child effective and holistic treatment, during which it is important to draw as near as possible to the level of the child’s ability to cooperate while adhering to the healthcare standard.

Keywords

• child psychiatry
• self-injurious behaviour
• autism spectrum disorder
• application of therapy
• nurse