To examine the risk for premature mortality and intentional self-harm in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Based on a national birth cohort. Children born in 1987-2005, diagnosed with ASD by 2007 (n = 4695) were matched with four non-ASD subjects (n = 18,450) and followed until 2015 for mortality and intentional self-harm. The risk among ASD…

The preceding article by Hawton and colleagues reporting on a prospective study of adolescents presenting with self-harm to Accident and Emergency departments (A&E) is one of the largest epidemiological studies to examine the long-term outcomes of self-harm in children and adolescents. After a median of 6 years nearly 30% re-presented to A&E with…

Examining Malcolm Browne's photograph of the burning monk as well as appropriations of it by the Ministers' Vietnam Committee, I argue that self-immolation is a powerful rhetorical act that utilizes self-inflicted violence as a means of performing a visual embodiment of violence done by an "other." I assert that the power and resonance…

Background: Stress and other mental health issues can negatively impact the health and academic performance of college students. Purpose: Examine relationships among stress, mental health, and academic classification in a national sample of college students. Methods: Analyses utilized secondary data from 27 387 college students responding to the…

Aggressive and destructive behaviors are an ongoing challenge for many children, adolescents, and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). What's behind these high-risk behaviors, and how can professionals help manage them? Discover the answers in this comprehensive text, the most up-to-date compendium of knowledge on…

Youth suicide is one of the most serious preventable health problems in the United States. It is the third leading cause of death among adolescents. According to a recent national survey of students in grades 9-12, nearly 15% of respondents had seriously considered suicide and 7% actually had attempted suicide in the previous 12 months. Moreover,…

Fatal and nonfatal intentional self-harm events in eight U.S. states were compared using emergency department, hospital, and vital statistics data. Nonfatal event rates increased by an estimated 24.20% over 6 years. Case fatality ratios varied widely, but two northeastern states' total event rates (fatal plus nonfatal) were very high (New…

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts (SAs) are especially prevalent in borderline personality disorder. One proposed mechanism for the maintenance of NSSI and SAs is escape conditioning, whereby immediate reductions in aversive emotional states negatively reinforce the behaviors. Psychophysiological and subjective indicators of…

Background: Relatively little information is available about the characteristics and long-term outcome of children and adolescents aged under 15 years who present to general hospitals because of deliberate self-harm (DSH). Method: Information was collected on 710 consecutive under-15-year-olds presenting to a general hospital in central England…

When good people do violently bad things, one seeks answers, drawing from one's repertoire of theories and concepts that have served him/her well. Underlying one's attempts to understand violent behavior is the belief that one can impose sense on seemingly insensible actions. Sometimes, in the face of inexplicable events, one is left to try to…

Presents epidemiologic and forensic description of 50 witnessed suicides drawn from 15-year series of over 1,000 cases. Develops taxonomy based on role played by witnesses and relates to previous work on self-destructive behavior and its motivation. Uses vignettes to illustrate interpersonal dynamics associated with witnessed suicides. (Author/NB)

Although a number of investigators have adopted the O'Carroll et al. (1996) nomenclature and applied it in their studies, and others have acknowledged its role in highlighting the need for clarification of terms, the nomenclature has not been widely used in the research and clinical communities. The rationale behind the rebuilding of the O'Carroll…

The degree of intent to commit suicide and the severity of self-injury were examined in individuals (N = 180) who had recently attempted suicide. Although a minimal association was found between the degree of suicide intent and the degree of lethality of the attempt, the accuracy of expectations about the likelihood of dying was found to moderate…

Compared 163 patients who were either first-time attempters or repeaters with a history of previous attempts. A six-month follow-up indicated four suicides in the repeaters' group and none in the first cases' group. Repeaters appeared to be much more dependent than first cases on professional care and to present a high short-term risk for suicide.…

A recent paper has demonstrated a relationship between suicide during the teen years and the age, relative to one's classmates, at which these individuals entered school. This represents the latest, and perhaps most important, of a series of studies that have focused on the effects of grouping children by age of entry into particular activities.…