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Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: Diagnostic Challenges And Current Perspectives
Jill M Hooley1, Kathryn R Fox2, Chelsea Boccagno1
1Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
Abstract:
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.
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