Self-injurious behaviour: a kindling phenomenon?

Self-injurious behaviour continues to be a drain on the resources for rehabilitation of the children with developmental disabilities. Pathogenesis and therapy seems fragmentary, with virtually every major neurotransmitter system being identified as the putative substrate for self-injurious behaviour. This phenomenon as it cuts across the diagnostic boundaries, although it is suggestive of a heterogeneous neurochemical basis, should call for the exploration of the biological event preceding the neurochemical cascade resulting in the behaviour. The authors argue that kindling is the preceding neurophysiological event resulting in self-injurious behaviour and, thus, can be effectively prevented pharmacologically.