Self-injurious Behavior (self-injuriou + behavior)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Script-driven imagery of self-injurious behavior in patients with borderline personality disorder: a pilot FMRI study

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 1 2010
A. Kraus
Objective:, Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is one of the most distinctive features of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and related to impulsivity and emotional dysregulation. Method:, Female patients with BPD (n = 11) and healthy controls (n = 10) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while listening to a standardized script describing an act of self-injury. Experimental sections of the script were contrasted to the neutral baseline section and group-specific brain activities were compared. Results:, While imagining the reactions to a situation triggering SIB, patients with BPD showed significantly less activation in the orbitofrontal cortex compared with controls. Furthermore, only patients with BPD showed increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during this section and a decrease in the mid-cingulate while imagining the self-injurious act itself. Conclusion:, This pattern of activation preliminary suggests an association with diminished emotion regulation, impulse control as well as with response selection and reappraisal during the imagination of SIB. [source]


Self-injurious behavior and the efficacy of naltrexone treatment: A quantitative synthesis

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 3 2004
Frank J. Symons
Abstract People with mental retardation, autism, and related developmental disabilities who self-injure are treated with a wide array of behavioral techniques and psychotropic medications. Despite numerous reports documenting short-term and some long-term changes in self-injury associated with the opiate antagonist naltrexone hydrochloride, no quantitative review of its efficacy has been reported. We conducted a quantitative synthesis of the peer-reviewed published literature from 1983 to 2003 documenting the use of naltrexone for the treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB). Individual-level results were analyzed given subject and study characteristics. A sample of 27 research articles involving 86 subjects with self-injury was reviewed. Eighty percent of subjects were reported to improve relative to baseline (i.e., SIB reduced) during naltrexone administration and 47% of subjects SIB was reduced by 50% or greater. In studies reporting dose levels in milligrams, males were more likely than females to respond. No significant relations were found between treatment outcomes and autism status or form of self-injury. Results are discussed with respect to future efficacy work related to study outcomes and the pharmacological treatment of self-injury. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MRDD Research Reviews 2004;10:193,200. [source]


,Early and self-injurious behavior in young children born at-risk: a preliminary analysis'

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 12 2003
Frank J Symons PhD
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


The man with the purple nostrils: a case of rhinotrichotillomania secondary to body dysmorphic disorder

ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 6 2002
L. F. Fontenelle
Objective: To describe a different type of self-injurious behavior that may be secondary to body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Method: Single case report. Results: We reported a case of an individual who have developed the self-destructive habit of pulling and severely scraping hairs and debris out of the mucous membrane of his nasal cavities. We have proposed the term rhinotrichotillomania to emphasize the phenomenological overlapping between trichotillomania (TTM) and rhinotillexomania (RTM) exhibited by this case. The main motivation behind the patient's actions was a distressing preoccupation with an imaginary defect in his appearance, which constitutes the core characteristic of BDD. The patient was successfully treated with imipramine. Conclusion: The case suggests that certain features of TTM, RTM, and BDD may overlap and produce serious clinical consequences. Patients with this condition may benefit from a trial of tricyclics when other effective medications, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are not available for use. [source]


Behavioral forecasts do not improve the prediction of future behavior: a prospective study of self-injury,

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 10 2008
Irene Belle Janis
Abstract Clinicians are routinely encouraged to use multimodal assessments incorporating information from multiple sources when determining an individual's risk of dangerous or self-injurious behavior; however, some sources of information may not improve prediction models and so should not be relied on in such assessments. The authors examined whether individuals' prediction of their own future behavior improves prediction over using history of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITB) alone. Sixty-four adolescents with a history of SITB were interviewed regarding their past year history of SITB, asked about the likelihood that they would engage in future SITB, and followed over a 6-month period. Individuals' forecasts of their future behavior were related to subsequent SITB, but did not improve prediction beyond the use of SITB history. In contrast, history of SITB improved prediction of subsequent SITB beyond individuals' behavioral forecasts. Clinicians should rely more on past history of a behavior than individuals' forecasts of future behavior in predicting SITB. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 64:1,11, 2008. [source]


Staff survey results and characteristics that predict assault and injury to personnel working in mental health facilities

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 1 2003
Julie Cunningham
Abstract The purpose of this study was to complete a mental health staff opinion survey to identify patient and staff characteristics associated with staff assault and injury in psychiatric treatment settings and to develop a model of prediction for staff assault and injury utilizing these survey variables. The data consisted of opinion surveys sent to staff of 15 child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry inpatient units in the United States. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the level of assault and staff-reported injury prediction that could be obtained from the staff-completed opinion survey. Responses indicated a high prevalence of reported aggression, with 62.3% of staff endorsing verbal and physical aggression, property destruction, and self-injurious behavior as being prevalent at their site, whereas only 4.1% rated none of these as prevalent. Staff working with children and adolescents in settings with high rates of psychiatric diagnoses reported increased frequency of assault and injury compared with those working with adults. Younger, less experienced staff reported higher rates of assault and injury. Staff working with female patients reported similar rates of assault and injury to those working with males. A logistic regression analysis using staff-reported survey results of both staff and patient characteristics predicted assault correctly 73.7% of the time and injury 66.1% of the time. Resources for violence prevention and staff training programs in violence prevention are needed in child and adolescent psychiatry wards. Results are consistent with theories emphasizing the importance of negative emotions and affects, impulsivity, and frustration in goal-directed activities in human aggression. Aggr. Behav. 29:31,40, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


The MTHFR 677C,T polymorphism and behaviors in children with autism: exploratory genotype,phenotype correlations

AUTISM RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009
Robin P. Goin-Kochel
Abstract New evidence suggests that autism may be associated with (a) varied behavioral responses to folate therapy and (b) metabolic anomalies, including those in folate metabolism, that contribute to hypomethylation of DNA. We hypothesized that children with autism who are homozygous for the MTHFR 677 T allele (TT) and, to a lesser extent those with the CT variant, would exhibit more behavioral problems and/or more severe problematic behaviors than homozygous wild-type (CC) individuals because of difficulties in effectively converting 5,10-MTHF to 5-MTHF. Data from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) collection were analyzed for all children who met strict criteria for autism per the Autism Diagnostic Interview,Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and who had been genotyped for the 677 C to T MTHFR polymorphism (n=147). Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and one-way ANOVAs were used to determine whether differences existed among MTHFR genotypes for specific behaviors on the ADI-R and indices for level of functioning. Exploratory results indicated four behaviors from the ADI-R that were more common and problematic (95% CI) among those with at least one copy of the T allele as compared to homozygous wild-type individuals: direct gaze, current complex body movements, a history of self-injurious behavior, and current overactivity (ORs=2.72, 2.33, 2.12, 2.47, respectively). No differences existed among genotypes for level of functioning as measured with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test,Third Edition, Ravens Colored Progressive Matrices, or the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales. Findings call for further investigation of the relationship between folate metabolism and problem behaviors among children with autism. [source]


Computer aided self-monitoring to increase academic production and reduce self-injurious behavior in a child with autism

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 3 2009
Denise A. Soares
Self-monitoring to increase the on-task behavior of students with learning disabilities has been the focus of numerous studies in the literature. This study examined the effectiveness of computer aided self-monitoring of academic task completion to reduce self-injurious behavior in a 13-year-old male student with autism. Using an ABAB design, data were collected over 22 sessions in a resource-reading classroom. Visual and statistical analyses indicated that when self-monitoring of activity completion was implemented, rates of completion increased and maladaptive behaviors such as self-injurious behavior and tantruming decreased. Discussion follows for implications for self-monitoring with students with autism. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Effect of wave frequency of clinical electric shock: pain sensation and startle response

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 2 2004
P. C. Duker
Contingent shock has been used in a number of studies to suppress health-threatening self-injurious behavior of individuals with mental retardation and autism. As sustained suppression is an issue of clinical concern, research into procedural variables of contingent shock is needed. As research on subjects who have mental retardation and who show self-injurious behavior is ethically impossible, we conducted research on healthy volunteers. In this study, we compared the effect of wave frequency (i.e. Hz) of electric shock on subjects' pain sensation and startle response. It was found that 60,Hz revealed a significantly stronger pain sensation rating than 30,Hz and that 90,Hz revealed a significantly stronger rating than 60,Hz. Also, the magnitude of subjects' startle response significantly increased as wave frequency increased from 30,Hz to 60,Hz and from 60 to 90,Hz. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Decreasing self-injurious behavior associated with awakening in a child with autism and developmental delays

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 2 2004
Iser G. DeLeon
Direct observation data revealed that self-injurious behavior (SIB) emitted by a young boy with autism occurred primarily within one hour after waking versus all other times of the day. Experimentally manipulated scheduled awakenings supported the hypothesized relation between waking and SIB. A faded-bedtime procedure was then implemented to stabilize his sleep patterns, which reduced awakenings by 81% and post-waking SIB by 82%. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Extended analysis and treatment of self-injurious behavior

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 3 2001
John J. Healey
In experiment 1, an extended functional analysis of self-injury was conducted with a 21-year-old male diagnosed with autism and profound mental retardation. The multielement phase yielded undifferentiated results. Subsequent blocking of conditions plus the addition of a component allowing access to multiple sensory stimuli suggested that self-injury was unrelated to programmed positive or negative reinforcement contingencies. The behavior appeared to be automatically reinforced; its occurrence decreased when access to alternative sensory stimuli was provided. Experiment 2 evaluated a treatment condition in which response-independent access to these sensory stimuli was provided within the participant's everyday environment. Baseline and treatment frequencies of self-injury were compared in a combined, multiple-baseline-across-settings and ABAB design. The level of self-injury decreased substantially during treatment. These results support the use of extended analog analyses of aberrant behavior in instances in which undifferentiated responding occurs in the initial analogue analysis. Additionally, a procedure is described for generalizing the intervention derived from the experimental analysis into the participant's everyday environment. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Treatment of self-injury correlated with mechanical restraints

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, Issue 2 2001
SungWoo Kahng
Mechanical arm restraints were used to decrease hand-to-head self-injurious behavior (SIB) exhibited by a 16-year-old female with severe mental retardation. Although mechanical restraints reduced hand-to-head SIB, they were correlated with an increase in other topographies of SIB (e.g., head banging). These other topographies were not significantly affected by the addition of an environmental enrichment procedure, but were immediately and almost completely suppressed when contingent exercise was added. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


High suicidal ideation in persons testing for Huntington's disease

ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2000
T-B. Robins Wahlin
This study examined the first participants who registered for the Huntington's disease predictive testing program 1990,1995 in Stockholm, Sweden. A psychosocial investigation was performed to evaluate potential effects of the presymptomatic testing. The results showed no significant differences between 13 genecarriers and 21 noncarriers in pretest attitudes, expectations, general well-being, life satisfaction and lifestyle, the need for support, estimated sense of well-being or degree of health. However, both groups showed high suicidal ideation and self-injurious behavior. Noncarriers had a very high frequency of attempted suicide, and both groups had similarly pronounced psychiatric dysfunction. Their relatives also had high frequencies of psychiatric diseases, suicide or suicidal attempts. Most of the participants had a desire to meet a psychologist or a social worker. The need for counseling, using a well designed protocol, and the importance of focusing on suicide risk of participants in predictive testing programs is emphasized. [source]


Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Eating Pathology in High School Students

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 1 2009
Shana Ross PhD
Although past research has explored self-injurious behaviors and disordered eating among adults in clinical settings, little research has been conducted examining nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and eating pathology in community samples of adolescents. Four hundred and 40 students were screened for the presence of NSSI; a prevalence rate of 13.9% was found. Those who indicated that they engaged in NSSI (n = 59) and a comparison group of non-self-injurers (n = 57) completed the Eating Disorders Inventory. Results indicate that students who engage in NSSI display significantly more eating pathology than their non-NSSI peers, including poor interoceptive awareness; difficulties with impulse regulation; an increased sense of ineffectiveness, distrust, and social insecurity; and increased bulimic tendencies and body dissatisfaction. Relationships were found between increased lifetime frequency of NSSI behaviors and poor impulse control and deficits in affective regulation. In addition, adolescents who had stopped self-injuring reported comparable rates of eating pathology as did adolescents who continued to self-injure. The theoretical connection between NSSI and eating pathology are discussed with reference to enhancing knowledge regarding the characteristics of NSSI. [source]