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Hi, I'm excited to take part in tonight's #ElevateTheConvo! I’m David Klonsky, Professor of Psychology at @UBCPsych , and I’ve been studying self-injury for about 20 years. I’m also past-President of the International Society for the Study of Self-injury. https://itriples.org/
I also spend time in the martial arts world, formerly as a black belt in Shotokan karate, and today as a student of jiu-jitsu and a very part-time combat sports psychology consultant and analyst. #FunFact #ElevateTheConvo
A1 1/3: Nonsuicidal self-injury refers to intentional injury to one’s own body tissue *without suicidal intent*. Common examples include skin-cutting or burning. #ElevateTheConvo
A1 2/3: Research for over the past two decades suggest self-injury is reasonably common among teens and young adults, though most who try self-injury only do it once or twice. For others it becomes frequent, most often as a response to intense negative emotions. #ElevateTheConvo
A1 3/3: Much is now known about self-injury, but there is still much to learn. https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~klonsky/publications/CJP2014.pdf #ElevateTheConvo
A2 1/3: The most common reason to self-injure is to downregulate intense negative emotions (such as agitation, frustration, anger, anxiety, or self-criticism). Self-punishment is another commonly reported reason. #ElevateTheConvo
A2 2/3: Self-injury can be powerfully reinforcing, in that it quickly (albeit temporarily) reduces negative emotion. But it is not addictive in the same way as substances. #ElevateTheConvo
A2 3/3: Whereas substances offer both powerful positive reinforcement (a high, satisfying an urge) and negative reinforcement (reducing negative emotion), self-injury is almost exclusively about negative reinforcement. https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~klonsky/publications/Craving2012.pdf #ElevateTheConvo
A3 1/3: Many people who self-injure do not attempt suicide or feel suicidal. The act itself is usually not accompanied by suicidal thoughts. But see next tweet... https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~klonsky/publications/Klonsky2011.pdf #ElevateTheConvo
A3 2/3: At the same time, people who self-injure are at risk for suicidal ideation due to the increased psychological distress, and are more capable of attempting suicide due to having ‘practice’ with self-inflicted violence. #ElevateTheConvo
A3 3/3: As a result, people who self-injure are at increased risk for suicide attempts, and in fact, self-injury is one of the strongest predictors of attempted suicide. https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~klonsky/publications/NSSI_Suicide_2013.pdf #ElevateTheConvo
A4 1/3: Many who self-injure make efforts to resist self-injurious urges, and will try many techniques to resist urges, some of which are more helpful than others. https://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~klonsky/publications/urges_2008.pdf #ElevateTheConvo
A4 2/3: Treatments that focus on emotion regulation, functional assessment, and problem solving can be helpful for reducing nonsuicidal self-injury. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15374416.2019.1591281 #ElevateTheConvo
A4 3/3: If you're concerned about someone who self-injures, do what you would normally do for other kinds of concerns. Reach out, listen, express caring, and communicate that you are available to help. https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Self-Injury-Compassionate-Guide-Parents/dp/0199391602/ #ElevateTheConvo
