Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Diagnostic Challenges And Current Perspectives

Abstract

Jill M Hooley, 1 Kathryn R Fox, 2 Chelsea Boccagno 1 1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; 2Department of Psychology, University of Denver, Denver, CO 80210, USACorrespondence: Jill M HooleyDepartment of Psychology, Harvard University, 33 Kirkland Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USATel [phone]Email [email protected]: 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.Keywords: nonsuicidal self-injury; NSSI, NSSI disorder, self-harm, suicide, DSM-5, diagnosis

Keywords

• nonsuicidal self-injury (nssi)
• nssi disorder
• self-harm
• suicide
• dsm-5
• diagnosis