ABSTRACT
While non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is growing in prevalence among teens and young adults, very little is known about treating self-injury specifi cally. Various evidence-based treatments have been implemented and found to work in decreasing NSSI; however, changes in NSSI have been a secondary benefi t to a treatment originally developed to treat another pervasive disorder, such as Borderline Personality Disorder or depression. Additionally, most researchers have conducted these studies with individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, potentially complicating what treatments may look like in populations without this diagnosis or symptomology. To complicate matters further, while the majority of the treatments listed in this chapter have been found to effectively reduce NSSI, there is confl icting evidence. For example, most dialectical behavioral treatments (DBT) have been found to reduce NSSI and other suicidal behaviors; however, usually not more than treatment as usual. What this means is that DBT decreases or extinguishes NSSI behaviors, yet other treatments as usual (i.e., individual therapy, medication) have also decreased NSSI at similar rates, indicating there is truly no signifi cant difference between how you might typically work with a client and the implementation of a manualized treatment in working with clients who self-injure.
