Some adolescents deal with negative emotions by causing injury to their body without intending to kill themselves. An example would be delicate, superficial self-cutting of a forearm or a leg.
This behavior is called Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI). About 3-7% of teens do this in an attempt to manage emotions that seem overpowering. Unfortunately, it is risky and does not provide long-term relief.
Therapists have developed a form of treatment that teaches these teens a safer and more adaptive way to deal with overwhelming emotions. It is called Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT), which can be used in group therapy or for an individual.
Researchers in Sweden wanted to find out if a version of this therapy could be provided on the internet with oversight by a trained therapist. This therapy was added to standard care that the adolescents were also receiving.
Half of the teens had on-line Emotion Regulation Therapy plus standard care, and the other half only had standard care. Treatment was provided for 12 weeks.
The group who received ERT along with standard treatment had fewer episodes of NSSI than the group who only received standard treatment. These results suggest that an internet-based ERT treatment overseen by a trained therapist could be a cost-effective treatment for NSSI in teens with depression and/or anxiety.
Regardless, a teenager with NSSI would benefit from the addition of ERT therapy approaches designed to teach them less risky and more adaptive ways to manage strong negative emotions.
This blog was based on a research article by Bjureberg and colleagues in JAMA Network 2023; 6(7). To access the article use this doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.22069
Peter M. Hartmann, MD
Family Medicine & Psychiatry
