Understanding Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Pediatric Care

Imagine you have a new 13-year-old patient in your practice. When you perform a return-to-school physical examination, you notice healed linear cutting marks on both of their wrists. The remainder of your exam is normal. In light of this finding, what are your next steps? What questions should you be asking the family and the patient, and what should you be concerned about today?  

As part of our mental health series, in this episode we discuss nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This is a common problem in teenagers and young adults, with some studies estimating a prevalence of up to 18% in high school students. Considered a developmental-timed problem, NSSI becomes much less common with age. Which begs the question, what’s happening inside that teenage brain? Two Children’s Hospital Colorado experts join us to help decode what is going on. 

Guests:  

Evadine Codd, PhD, is a licensed psychologist at Children’s Colorado within the Pediatric Mental Health Institute. 

Luke Miller, MD, is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Children’s Colorado.   

For more information on Children’s Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org