Nonsuicidal Self-injury: A Systematic Review

Nonsuicidal self-injury refers to the intentional self-inflicted destruction of body tissue without suicidal intention and for purposes not socially sanctioned. Our paper presents an up-to-date overview on nonsuicidal, self-injurious behaviors. Method: In accordance with PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature search was conducted across two databases, PubMed and PsycARTICLES, regarding the main features of NSSI with a focus on epidemiological and etiologic data, diagnostic criteria, and functions. All English articles, published between 1998 and 2016, were considered, and screened against a priori inclusion/exclusion criteria. The search terms include: self-harm, self-injury, nonsuicidal self-injury, NSSI, epidemiology, comorbidity, gender, functions and DSM. We also examined the references of the retrieved articles.

Nonsuicidal self-injury is most common among adolescents and young adults, and the age of onset is reported to occur between 12 and 14 years. Comorbidity with borderline personality disorder and eating disorders is often reported. DSM-5 includes nonsuicidal self-injury as a condition requiring further study. This review gives an overview of the prevalence rates (7.5% - 46.5% adolescents, 38.9% university students, 4% - 23% adults) and main causes that appear to stem from childhood trauma, comorbidity with many other disorders and several functions of nonsuicidal self-injury, and the potential independence of a nonsuicidal self-injury disorder.