Deliberate self-harm: An Update

Deliberate Self-Harm (DSH) is common, often repeated and associated with suicide. The person with DSH usually show emotional dysregulation and a lack of adaptive skills to regulate emotions. They are widely considered to be a vulnerable population in need of effective interventions. The purpose of this study is to explore the DSH, its risk factors and management issues. Literature has been searched the both electronic databases including PubMed and manual searches for this. Fifth edition of DSM proposes Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI), a synonym for DSH as a new disorder. NSSI is the attempt to harm oneself deliberately, usually by cutting or burning, with no suicidal intent. NSSI is a maladaptive strategy to regulation emotion often triggered by negative events, like feelings of rejection. The prevalence of DSH among young adults is significant, and the behavior is associated with medical, psychological, and social consequences ranging in severity. Several interventions appear to hold promise for reducing NSSI, including dialectical behaviour therapy, emotion regulation group therapy, manual-assisted cognitive therapy, dynamic deconstructive psychotherapy, atypical antipsychotics, naltrexone, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors with or without cognitive-behavioural therapy.