Non-Suicidal Self-injury (NSSI) also known as "self-injury" or "self-harm," which is a common practice amongst adolescents, is typically defined as the deliberate, self-inflicted destruction of body tissue without suicidal intent and for purposes not socially-sanctioned. Medical providers are uniquely positioned to detect the presence of self-injurious behavior, to assess its lethality, and to assist patients in caring for wounds and in seeking psychological treatment.
In an article published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine, Janis Whitlock (Cornell University, NY) discusses the epidemiology and care of adolescents undertaking NSSI. Whitlock discusses the research so far conducted on NSSI and comments on important questions surrounding intentional self-harm such as, why do youth self-injure? What is the relationship between NSSI and suicide? How do we detect NSSI and how is it best treated?
The author concludes that "NSSI assessment should be standard practice in medical settings. Because NSSI research is nascent, unanswered research questions abound. Those most pressing for clinicians and allied medical health professionals include (a) discerning individuals with NSSI history at elevated risk for suicide… (b) effective treatment regimes, (c) effective prevention strategies in school and community settings, and (d) assessment and referral protocols likely to result in effective treatment and abatement of NSSI behavior."
This Research in Translation Article will be published in the Magazine section of PLoS Medicine on the 25th May.
Funding: No specific funding was received for this piece.
Competing Interests: The author has declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Whitlock J (2010) Self-Injurious Behavior in Adolescents. PLoS Med 7(5): e1000240. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000240
IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000240
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-07-05-whitlock.pdf
CONTACTS:
Janis Whitlock
Cornell University
FLDC
G04 MVR
Ithaca, NY 14853
United States of America
607.254-2894
jlw43@cornell.edu
Is journal publishing an efficient mechanism for information sharing during medical emergencies?
In this month's editorial the PLoS Medicine editors highlight the problem of how to effectively share information in the wake of a rapidly spreading disease, and question whether journal publishing is an efficient mechanism for information sharing during these periods.
Two papers published recently, on journal publication during the SARS epidemic of 2003, and on the influence of seasonal influenza vaccination on severity of H1N1 influenza, have highlighted the deficiencies of the current system. The editors discuss the potential of the internet for improvingthe dissemination of information and whether the flow of information in the faceof a crisis is truly enabled by publication inmedical journals (even online journals) orwhether we need new avenues for rapid data sharing.
Funding: The authors are each paid a salary by the Public Library of Science, and they wrote this editorial during their salaried time.
Competing Interests: The authors' individual competing interests are at http://www.plosmedicine.org/static/editorsInterests.action. PLoS is funded partly through manuscript publication charges, but the PLoS Medicine Editors are paid a fixed salary (their salary is not linked to the number of papers published in the journal).
Citation: The PLoS Medicine Editors (2010) Journals, Academics, and Pandemics. PLoSMed7 (5): e1000282.doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000282
IN YOUR COVERAGE PLEASE USE THIS URL TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE FREELY AVAILABLE PAPER: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000282
PRESS-ONLY PREVIEW OF THE ARTICLE: http://www.plos.org/press/plme-07-05-editorial.pdf
CONTACTS:
medicine_editors@plos.org
press@plos.org
Journal
PLoS Medicine