Non-Suicidal Self-Injury among Female Adolescents

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1. Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) an Introduction:
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) is defined as self-injurious behavior without suicidal intent (Klonsky, 2007). This is an issue that has become ever more prevalent in the field of mental health and has been shown to effect individuals struggling with many other coinciding mental health issues (Klonsky, 2007). Mental Health practitioners have serious concerns regarding the ethical and effective treatment of adolescents struggling with issues related to self-injurious behaviors and the risk factors related to self-harm. When untreated these behaviors can lead to unintentional suicide and as a result it is of utmost importance that mental health professionals approach issues of self-harm with extreme caution, valid assessment tools, and evidence supported treatment. Existing evidence suggests that a strong therapeutic alliance is an important place to start when working with individuals engaging in self-harming behaviors (Kress, 2008) (Muehlenkamp,2006). Next, it is suggested that it is important to develop a good and non-judgmental understanding of the function of the self-harming behavior for the client (Kress, 2008) (Muehlenkamp,2006). Literature also suggests that involvement of family can be an important aspect of treatment. Finally, there is new research to show that Mentalization-Based Treatment is more effective than standard treatment methods for individuals who are self-harming (Russouw, 2012).
2. Information about NSSI:
Individuals struggling with issues of self-harm come from many different backgrounds and struggle with many different mental health issues. However, NSSI is most common among adolescents and young adults, with the age of onset being between 13 and 14 (Klon...

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Muehlenkamp, J. J. (2006). Empirically supported treatments and general therapy guidelines for non-suicidal self-injury. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 28(2), 166-185.

Rossouw, T. I., & Fonagy, P. (2012). Mentalization-based treatment for self-harm in adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 51(12), 1304-1313.

Trudie I. Rossouw, Mentalization-Based Treatment: Can It Be Translated Into Practice in Clinical Settings and Teams?, Journal of the American Academy of Child &
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Wilkinson, P., & Goodyer, I. (2011). Non-suicidal self-injury. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 20(2), 103-108.

Wilkinson, P. (2012). Non-suicidal self-injury. European child & adolescent psychiatry, 22
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