Diagnostic Correlates of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Disorder among Veterans with Psychiatric Disorders

Assessing suicide risk in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a dimensional approach

“… 23 Research concerning the prevalence of NSSIB among individuals with OCD is scant, and clinicians do not consider OCD to be associated with such behaviors. Our study, on the contrary, confirms recent results indicating an association between NSSIB and OCD 24 and provides an estimate of the prevalence of the phenomenon. We also found that the severity of comorbid anxiety symptoms was related to the lifetime presence of NSSIB.…”

Traditional masculine gender role norms and nonsuicidal self-injury in veterans.

“…This study of U.S. military Veterans found notable nuances in the relation between adherence to masculine gender norms and NSSI. Consistent with prior research (e.g., Patel et al, 2021), lifetime history of psychiatric disorders was strongly associated with all three lifetime outcomes assessed: NSSI behaviors, NSSI disorder, and wall-object punching. The relation between psychiatric disorders and engagement in self-harm behaviors is well-established and suggests this risk factor continues to warrant attention.…”

Hiding in the open: Consideration of nonsuicidal self‐injury by proxy as a clinically meaningful construct

“…These findings support the conceptualization of some forms of SASI (i.e., those involving direct other‐elicited physical injury) as NSSI by proxy rather than indirect self‐injury. Further supporting the conceptualization of some forms of SASI as NSSI by proxy, the first author of this article interviewed a female veteran in the context of administering the Clinician Administered Nonsuicidal Self‐injury Disorder Index (CANDI; Gratz et al, 2015) as part of a research study (see Patel et al, 2021). During the interview, the veteran reported initiating sexual activity for the purpose of causing direct injury to her body.…”

“…Nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI) occurs in approximately 3%–6% of the adult general population (Klonsky, 2011; Liu, 2021; Plener et al, 2016; Swannell et al, 2014), 17%–27% of adolescents (Monto et al, 2018; Swannell et al, 2014; Zetterqvist et al, 2021), 13%–18% of young adults (Kiekens et al, 2021; Swannell et al, 2014), and up to 80% of clinical populations (Auerbach et al, 2014; Clarkin et al, 1983; Gunderson & Ridolfi, 2001). In addition to being associated with functional impairment and numerous psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], borderline personality disorder [BPD]; Bentley et al, 2015; Gratz et al, 2015; Patel et al, 2021), NSSI is a robust predictor of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Asarnow et al, 2011; Franklin et al, 2017). Further, recurrent NSSI was included as a “condition for further study” within the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM‐5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), with the diagnostic criteria for NSSI disorder (NSSID) including engagement in NSSI on at least five days in the past year (Criterion A); the expectation that NSSI will regulate emotions and/or resolve interpersonal difficulties (Criterion B); the experience of negative feelings or thoughts immediately prior to NSSI, and/or preoccupation with or frequent thoughts related to NSSI (Criterion C); and the presence of significant distress or impairment (Criterion E), among others.…”