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Self-Harm and Suicidality in Children and Adolescents

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Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents

Part of the book series: Mental Health and Illness Worldwide ((MHIW))

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Abstract

Self-harm is defined as any act of self-injury or self-poisoning regardless of intent. Suicidality includes suicidal self-harm as well as suicidal thoughts and plans. Self-harm is common, with 10–20% of young people reporting having harmed themselves before the age of 18. Self-harm is by no means always an act with suicidal intent, and the relationship between these two phenomena is complex. However, self-harm is the strongest single risk factor for completed suicide which is the second most common cause of death in young people aged 10–24. This chapter provides a short summary of self-harm and suicidality in young people and its prevalence and risk factors, prevention, assessment, and management. Links to additional material are also provided.

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Correspondence to Sophie Epstein .

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© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Epstein, S., Ougrin, D. (2020). Self-Harm and Suicidality in Children and Adolescents. In: Taylor, E., Verhulst, F., Wong, J., Yoshida, K., Nikapota, A. (eds) Mental Health and Illness of Children and Adolescents. Mental Health and Illness Worldwide. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_45-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0753-8_45-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0753-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0753-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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