Abstract
Self-injury refers to the intentional, purposeful, and socially unacceptable infliction of bodily harm without suicidal intent (Klonsky, 2007; Nixon & Heath, 2009a; Walsh, 2006). Also known as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI; Nock, 2009), it is a puzzling, disturbing, and often poorly understood behavior prevalent in all cultures and across all socioeconomic levels (Lieberman & Poland, 2006). Although the first recorded account of NSSI occurred over 2,400 years ago (Favazza, 1998), it has only been in recent decades that this condition has received widespread attention from professionals and the general public. The most common form of NSSI appears to be skin cutting (Klonsky & Muehlenkamp, 2007), and most individuals who engage in it typically cut on their forearms, although it is not necessarily restricted to that area (Nixon & Heath, 2009a). NSSI may take other forms as well, including severe skin scratching, picking at wounds, inserting objects into the body, or banging one’s head (D’Onofrio, 2007). This last behavior, however, is more typically observed among students with severe developmental disabilities (Brock, Jimerson, & Hansen, 2006) and is different from the type of NSSI examined in this book.