Self-harm: assessment, management and preventing recurrence. NG225.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2022)

NICE - n/a

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Evidence Categories

• Care setting: Healthcare Setting
• Care setting: Other settings
• Population group: Mental health condition
• Population group: Adults
• Population group: Children & Adolescents
• Population group: Past history of suicide attempts or self harm
• Population group: Intellectual disability
• Population group: Neurodevelopmental disorder
• Intervention: Indicated intervention: Pharmacological interventions
• Intervention: Indicated intervention: Multicomponent (multiple indicated components)
• Intervention: Indicated intervention: Harm minimisation
• Intervention: Indicated intervention: Information and support
• Intervention: Indicated intervention: crisis response / safety plan
• Intervention: Indicated intervention: Psychosocial Interventions
• Outcome: Self harm

Type of Evidence

Guidance

Overview

The authors state:

"This guideline updates and replaces NICE guideline CG16 (published July 2004) and NICE guideline CG133 (published November 2011). It covers assessment, management and preventing recurrence for children, young people (CYP) and adults who have self-harmed. It includes those with a mental health problem, neurodevelopmental disorder or learning disability and applies to all sectors that work with people who have self-harmed"

Recommendations

This guideline includes recommendations on:
- Information and support
- Consent and confidentiality
- Safeguarding
- Involving family members and carers
- Psychosocial assessment and care by mental health professionals
- Risk assessment tools and scales
- Assessment and care by healthcare professionals and social care practitioners
- Assessment and care by professionals from other sectors
- Admission to and discharge from hospital
- Initial aftercare after an episode of self-harm
- Interventions for self-harm
- Supporting people to be safe after self-harm
- Safer prescribing and dispensing
- Training and supervision