Self-mutilation refers to a variety of behaviors in which individuals deliberately inflict body lesions against themselves, with not accepted or even socially reproved purposes, but with no suicidal intent. Adolescence is a known risk factor for these behaviors.

Clinical and bibliographic review of self-mutilation in adolescence.

Review of medical files of adolescents followed in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Bibliographic review of papers about self-mutilation in adolescents.

The authors present 5 clinical vignettes (4 girls and 1 boy) of adolescents presenting with self-mutilations. Proposed theoretical models explaining the causes of these behaviors and their alleged functional role for the individual are presented based on the bibliographic review. Implicated psychosocial factors (predisposing and precipitating), associated symptoms and psychiatric syndromes (eg.: depression, personality disorders) and relation to suicide are discussed. Finally, different therapeutic approaches are presented as well as the major challenges to intervention in these situations.

: Self-mutilation represents a heterogeneous clinical condition with a multifactorial and complex pathophysiology requiring a comprehensive biopsychosocial intervention.