Future Directions for the Study of Suicide and Self-Injury

Date

2012

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology

Abstract

The death of a child is one of the most tragic events imaginable. Even more gut-wrenching is when a child intentionally chooses to end his or her own life in order to escape from unbearable suffering. Unfortunately, the occurrence of self-harm behaviors increases dramatically and occurs at elevated rates during adolescence and suicide currently is the fourth leading cause of all death among U.S. children and adolescents aged 10-14 years, third among those 15-24 years, and second among those 25-34 years. As a parent, this state of affairs is unacceptable. As psychological scientists, we must do more to decrease this tragic loss of precious life. Fortunately, the past few decades have brought significant advances in the understanding of suicide and other forms of self-inflicted injury. For instance, we have learned that suicidal behavior seems to run in families and the risk of suicidal behavior that is transmitted across generations exists above and beyond that of psychiatric disorders such as depression. We also have learned that the experience of serious adversities during childhood significantly increases one’s risk of the onset and persistence of suicidal behavior. We also are starting to see more complex models that examine the interaction of risk factors, such as those combining the findings mentioned above to suggest that some inherited genetic factors (e.g., a functional polymorphism of the serotonin transporter gene) may interact with environmental risk factors (e.g., childhood maltreatment) to increase the risk of depression and suicidal behavior. Despite these and other important advances, there is still a great deal that remains unknown about even some of the most fundamental characteristics of self-harm. The enormous lacunae in our current understanding of self-harm provide a research agenda for future directions in the study of suicidal and nonsuicidal self-injury. In this paper, I outline what I perceive to be some of the most important future directions in this effort.

Description

Keywords

self-injury, child abuse, suicide

Citation

Nock, M. K. (2012). Future directions for the study of suicide and self-injury. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 41(2), 255-259.

DOI