self-harm
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How Neurobiology Can Inform Our Understanding of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury
Why does non-suicidal self-injury develop and what sustains it? Explore Kaess et al. (2021) on biological, psychological, and social factors, including stress, pain, emotion regulation, and vulnerabilities linked to ongoing self-injury.
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Irritability and Later Depression and Self-Harm in Adolescence
Irritability is common in early childhood and for many children, it reduces over time as they develop better frustration tolerance, language, emotional regulation, and social understanding. However, when irritability remains high across early childhood, it may signal increased vulnerability to later mental health difficulties.
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Meet the Expert on Suicide and Self-harm Prevention – Prof. Pooja Saini
On 16 June 2026, ACAMH will host Brief Interventions That Make a Difference: Practical Approaches for Young People and Families, an international expert conference bringing together leading voices in suicide prevention, crisis care, neurodivergent-inclusive practice, and scalable mental health support. We caught up with one of the speakers – Professor Pooja Saini, Professor at Liverpool John Moores University and a specialist in suicide and self-harm prevention – about her work, her session, and what attendees can expect from the day.
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Self-harm and Suicide Risk in Young People: A Call for Personalised Assessment
Self-harm affects roughly one in six adolescents and is a potent predictor of suicide. Yet the best-known risk-prediction tools correctly identify only a small minority of future suicides. Instead of relying on scores, clinicians should carry out compassionate, personalised assessments, followed by rapid follow-up and collaborative safety plans.
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Common Elements in Interventions for Youth Suicide and Self-Harm: Findings from a Practitioner Review
A practitioner review of 18 randomised controlled trials identifies the therapeutic elements most commonly found in interventions that reduce suicide attempts and self-harm among adolescents. The findings highlight key strategies that can inform and guide clinical practice.
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Self-harm E-learning for School Staff: Co-production of the SORTS Toolkit
Self-harm among adolescents is increasing in prevalence and there is a lack of evidence-based, whole-school approaches to support students and staff with their response to self-harm. This blog discusses the need for a whole-school approach to self-harm training in schools alongside the SORTS study, which used co-production methods to develop the Supportive Response to Self-Harm in Schools (SORTS) toolkit.
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An Increasing Concern: Improving Self-Harm and Self-Injury Awareness
If you or a person you know is struggling with their mental health, please seek support by accessing the helplines and resources provided by the NHS website. For those outside the UK please use an internet search to find an organisation that can offer direct support.
1 March is globally recognised as Self-Harm and Self-Injury Awareness Day and serves as an opportunity to raise awareness, encourage an understanding, and promote more conversations around the topic of self-harm and self-injury. We encourage you to explore the learning opportunities available on our website and do please share with your networks and colleagues.
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JCPP Advances 2023 Special Issue – ‘Evidence-based Synthesis Studies for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conditions’
September sees the release of the JCPP Advances 2023 Special Issue on ‘Evidence-based Synthesis Studies for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conditions’, edited by Professor Henrik Larsson, Dr. Marco Solmi, Professor Guilherme Polanczyk, Professor Seena Fazel, Dr. Cinzia Del Giovane and Dr. Ioana Cristea.
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Professor Michael Kaess
Michael Kaess is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Bern as well as the Director of the University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Bern in Switzerland. Professor Kaess is a Joint Editor of CAMH.
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Professor Kapil Sayal
Kapil Sayal is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Honorary Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the University of Nottingham. He is an Associate Editor of CAMH, responsible for the Technology Matters section.
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