About this Research Topic
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidality are major public health problems across lifespan, even though particularly among adolescents and young people, with rates of NSSI being high in the teenage years, and suicide being the second most common cause of death in young people worldwide. Non-suicidal self-injury behaviours refer to intentional self-poisoning or self-injury, irrespective of the type of motivation or the extent of suicidal intent. NSSI and suicidality represent the products of a complex interplay between genetic, biological, psychiatric, psychological, social and cultural factors. Overall, the diathesis-stress model tries to explain and understand the NSSI and suicidality across lifespan, by underlining how it should be investigated the interplay between predisposing biological (e.g., serotonin imbalances), personality (e.g., perfectionism, impulsivity) and cognitive vulnerability (e.g., impaired social problem-solving, cognitive deterioration, etc.) combined with the exposure to negative/stressful events and/or life adversity. In particular suicidality and self-harm behaviours mostly tend to occur in the context of diagnosable psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders, including novel psychoactive substances. Overall, substance use disorders increases the risk of suicidal thoughts and is the second most frequent precursor to suicidality as well as non-suicidal self-harm behaviours to suicide.
Despite the plethora literature on suicidality and NSSI, there is the need to better collect and characterize age-specific as well as diagnosis-specific factors implicated in the emergence of suicidality and NSSI across lifespan and within mental disorders and substance use disorders, including novel psychoactive substance use disorders.
The research topic aims at better understanding the factor underlying suicidality and NSSI as trans-diagnostic psychopathological dimensions across lifespan (from the adolescence to elderly) in order to examine potential mechanisms and modifiable factors which may reduce risk of suicidality and self-harm behaviours, also considering the different impact that specific mental disorders and substance use disorders may have on these dimensions.
Despite the plethora literature on suicidality and NSSI, there is the need to better collect and characterize age-specific as well as diagnosis-specific factors implicated in the emergence of suicidality and NSSI across lifespan and within mental disorders and substance use disorders, including novel psychoactive substance use disorders.
The research topic aims at better understanding the factor underlying suicidality and NSSI as trans-diagnostic psychopathological dimensions across lifespan (from the adolescence to elderly) in order to examine potential mechanisms and modifiable factors which may reduce risk of suicidality and self-harm behaviours, also considering the different impact that specific mental disorders and substance use disorders may have on these dimensions.
Keywords: Suicidality, Self-harm, Nonsuicidal self-harm behaviours, Mental Disorder, Substance Use Disorders
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
