Active clinical trials for "Self-Injurious Behavior"

The primary aim is to investigate the effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Individual Therapy for Adolescents (ERITA) who self-harm.

Between 6% and 30% of people who harm themselves repeat this self-harm within the following 12 months. The investigators know that people who harm themselves are much more likely to commit suicide, but the investigators have no clear evidence about the best way to reduce the likelihood of someone harming themselves again. Text messaging is now a common form of communication. Previous research has shown us that the investigators can use text messages for different types of health care interventions. Examples of this include reminding patients of medical appointments, delivering test results, to check patient side effects following treatment and to reduce depressive symptoms in patients with depression and alcohol problems. The Samaritans have introduced interactive text messages (where you can have a conversation by text with their service) and have noted an increasing use of this contact with their service. This research study is taking place to find out if using supportive and interactive text messages can reduce further episodes of self-harm in patients who present to the Emergency Department (ED) with self-harm. The investigators hypothesize that supportive, informative and interactive text messages delivered to patients discharged from an ED after an episode of self-harm will significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of thoughts of self-harm and self-harming behaviour in patients compared with those receiving only follow-up treatment as usual. A secondary hypothesis is that patients receiving the text messages will report a favourable experience and an overall satisfaction with the system.

The overall aim of this study is to begin establishing an effective treatment for individuals who engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), as there are currently no evidence-based treatments that directly target this problematic behavior. Existing treatments that have demonstrated initial promise in reducing NSSI consist of many skills embedded in complex programs; therefore, the skill(s) responsible for improvements in NSSI are not clear. Procedures that focus on one's emotions, particularly that aim to increase emotional awareness and engagement in cognitive reappraisal (i.e., a way of thinking that lessens emotions), may be critical in effective NSSI treatment. The specific goals of this study are to investigate the effects of two specific emotion-focused treatment elements on NSSI. Participants will be ten individuals who meet the proposed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association) criteria for NSSI disorder and engage in NSSI to reduce or escape from negative emotions. Two core modules of the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP; Barlow et al., 2011) will be adapted and delivered with the aim of reducing participants' non-suicidal self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Each treatment module will consist of four 50-minute individual weekly sessions of emotion awareness training or cognitive reappraisal. The study will use a single-case experimental design, and phase change will be determined based on each participant's changes in non-suicidal self-injurious thoughts and behaviors.

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the efficiency of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in treatment of adolescents with deliberate self harm compared to Enhanced Usual Care (EUC). Eighty patients in the age of 12-18 yrs old will be included in the study. The main inclusion criterion is repetitive deliberate self-harm. The patients will receive 16 weeks treatment in outpatient clinics in Oslo, after having been randomized to DBT or EUC. They will be assessed on five different time-points: baseline (before starting treatment), 6 weeks (after start of treatment), 12 weeks, 16 weeks and 68 weeks. The main study hypothesis is: DBT will be significantly more effective in treatment of self-harm behavior, as measured/indicated by reduction in number of self-harm episodes with or without intent to die, as well as reduction of number of emergency room visits. It is also hypothesized that DBT will significantly reduce the level of suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms compared to EUC.

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder usually caused by the deletion of a specific gene. One of the symptoms of PWS is self-injurious behavior (SIB); a common form of SIB in PWS patients is skin picking. The injury may be severe enough to require frequent medical attention. This trial will evaluate SIB in individuals with PWS and will test the effectiveness of the drug topiramate to control SIB.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of ecopipam in patients with Lesch-Nyhan Disease (LND). Ecopipam specifically blocks the actions of one chemical in the brain that helps nerves talk to one another; ecopipam does this by stopping the chemical (dopamine) from binding to one of its family of receptors (i.e, the D1 family). LND is a very rare genetic disease. The sponsor is doing this study to find out what side effects ecopipam causes in LND patients, and whether ecopipam may be able to relieve the self-injurious behaviors seen in these patients.

This study will examine the effect of bright light or melatonin treatment on sleep in children with Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), a genetic disorder characterized by certain physical, behavioral and developmental features. Patients have a disrupted sleep cycle involving early waking, frequent daytime napping and frequent nighttime awakenings. Melatonin is a hormone normally produced at night in healthy people. People with SMS produce high levels of melatonin during the daytime and very low levels at night. This may affect their behavior, mood, attention span and sleep patterns. Healthy volunteers between 18 and 45 years of age and children with SMS who are between 3 and 16 years of age may be eligible for this study. Healthy subjects are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center overnight. In the morning they take one dose of time-release melatonin and have blood and saliva samples collected hourly from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Children with SMS participate in a 2-part study, as follows: Part 1 Inpatient Trial Pre-trial at-home phase: During the month before NIH inpatient admission, participants do the following: Wear an actiwatch device or keep a daily sleep diary to monitor daytime alertness, mood shifts and sleep patterns. Complete a behavior assessment survey related to the child s behaviors and sleep patterns. Obtain frequent body temperature measurements. Collect several saliva samples over a 24-hour period. NIH admission phase: Children are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for 2-3 nights for bright light treatment. They remain in their rooms for alternating periods of exposure to standard dim room light and bright light, using a light box placed within 3 to 5 feet of the child. An electroencephalogram (EEG) with additional electrodes to track eye movements is used to monitor the child s attention. Between 8AM and 6PM serial blood samples are collected to measure melatonin levels. A parent rates the child s mood and behavior during the 2-day test period. Children are admitted to the NIH Clinical Center for 2-3 nights for melatonin treatment. They take a single dose of melatonin or placebo tablet at bedtime. During the daytime, EEG electrodes are placed to track eye movements. Between 7 PM and 7 AM serial blood samples are collected to measure melatonin levels. A parent rates the child s behavior and mood as described for the bright light study. Children may receive either or both of the bright light and melatonin treatments. Part 2 Outpatient Trial Children participate in a combined bright light with melatonin trial at home. They undergo the same procedures outlined in the pre-trial at-home phase of Part 1 (actiwatch, behavior assessments, body temperature measurements, saliva samples) over an 11-week period. If saliva samples cannot be collected for melatonin testing, 24-hour urine samples may be collected instead.

Suicide-related experiences affect millions of people every year in the United States. Through decades of research, interventions targeting these experiences have developed with varied empirical support. Many of these treatments require regular attendance to in-person sessions with a trained behavioral health professional. Limitations of in-person services have led to the development of digital-based interventions, such as Therapeutic Evaluative Conditioning (TEC). TEC is based in evaluative conditioning principles and is a brief (1-2 minutes) digital intervention designed to increase aversion to self-injurious behaviors while decreasing aversion to the self through a match game-like task. Initial assessment of the intervention demonstrated promising results although treatment effects did not remain over time. Separately, sanctification, or the process through which aspects of life are perceived as having divine character and significance, can come from a theistic or nontheistic background and does not require a belief in a God or higher power to be experienced. When something is discovered as sacred, that sacredness becomes a priority for the individual, initiating motivation to conserve what is viewed as sacred. The primary aim of the current study is to develop and test the effectiveness of an adapted version of TEC designed to increase affinity for sacredness of life and increase the connection to life as mechanisms for decreasing suicide-related experiences. Results will provide insight into the perception of sacredness of life as a potential treatment target and are foundational work in a novel approach to address the public health priority of prevention and treatment of suicide-related experiences.

The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of an intervention aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle and reducing risk factors associated with eating pathology, nonsuicidal self-injury, and suicidal behavior. We are also interested in assessing whether this intervention has the potential to prevent future symptoms of eating problems and self-harm urges and behaviors. The broader goal of this research is to identify factors that may help us better understand the prevention of self-harm behaviors and develop more effective treatments for these problems.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is when somebody engages in self-harm, such as cutting, without meaning to end his or her life. A large number of people engage in NSSI for lots of reasons, for example to cope with emotions. However, currently there are large waiting lists to access psychological therapy through the NHS. Therefore, it is important to research brief therapies so that individuals who engage in NSSI can receive treatment quicker. One potentially helpful therapy suggested is Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT), which focuses on patterns in relationships. NSSI can be understood as a way in which people relate to themselves, which suggests that CAT would fit well in terms of understanding and working with these difficulties. This study aims to evaluate a brief two-session CAT therapy for people who engage in NSSI. The project aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the therapy, using interviews and questionnaires. This means looking at whether participants stick with the therapy, and how they find taking part in the therapy. All participants will meet with a researcher for an initial session to complete baseline questionnaires about their current difficulties, thoughts and feelings. Participants will then be randomly allocated to a condition: either the therapy condition or the treatment-as-usual (TAU) condition. Participants in the therapy condition will receive two therapy sessions, whilst participants in the TAU condition will not receive any therapy sessions. All participants will attend a final session to complete more questionnaires. Participants will be asked to complete online surveys weekly. Some participants will be invited to take part in interviews about their experience of the therapy. All participants will receive a shopping voucher as compensation for their time. Using the data collected from this study, future work can be done to provide better treatment for people who engage in NSSI.