Self-harm in children and adolescents: a mini-review

Abstract

Objective: Our objective was to make a mini review of the evidence and some recommendations about a holistic and compassionate approach for children and adolescents with self-harm. Methods: We performed a PubMed research on reviews, guidelines and trials published in English between 2006 and 2021. The keywords used were: self-harm, child and adolescent. Results: Self-harm is a common problem in young people with serious consequences. Nevertheless, this problem is underdiagnosed, with only a minority of young people using health services. There is a strong correlation between self-harm behaviors and suicide, with part of suicide deaths occurring in young people with a history of self-harm. These behaviors result from an interaction between genetic, biological, psychological, social and cultural factors, with the relevance of the stress diathesis being increasingly defended. There are several risk factors associated with self-harm, for example the existence of family and child adversities, the presence of family history and the observation of self-harm in others. Conclusion: Despite the importance inherent to self-harm behaviors, there is not a lot of literature with effective approaches and interventions for young people with these behaviors. However, a complete and compassionate observation and approaching of the patients is essential, especially in this age.