Investigating the cause of juvenile non-suicide self-harm...Cognitive behavioral therapy and medication

Sep 01, 2025

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Professor Shim Se-hoon's team at Cheonan Hospital (mental health medicine department) affiliated with Soonchunhyang University recently identified a new link between psychological and cranial neurophysiological factors for adolescents' 'non-suicide self-harm' behavior, which is considered a social problem.

Non-suicide Self-Injuries (NSSI) is the act of intentionally and repeatedly harming one's body without the intention of committing suicide.

Professor Shim Se-hoon compared and analyzed the brain waves of 51 non-suicide self-harming adolescents and 50 adolescents who did not have self-harming behavior with Professor Yoon Sung-hoon (mental health medicine department) at Wonkwang University Hospital. This is an analysis of the location of the brain region showing a decrease in ▲psychological characteristics ▲executive function task (go/nogo) performance ▲ nerve activity of the two groups.

As a result of the study, it was confirmed that self-inflicted adolescents reduce the amplitude of brain waves in certain brain electrodes (nogo P3). This suggests that the control to suppress self-harm is impaired and attention concentration is reduced.

Professor Shim Sei-hoon explained that "an abnormality in the brain electrode (nogo P3) is deeply psychologically related to depression and interpersonal stress", adding that "In addition to psychological characteristics, a decrease in brain activity occurs in the frontal lobe located in the upper right side of the brain, which cannot suppress impulses and leads to self-harm."

Professor Shim continued "Adolescents with abnormalities in brain electrodes (nogo P3) need integrated treatment in which cognitive behavioral therapy dealing with emotional problems and medication to control mood are performed simultaneously."In addition, "We need to strengthen control of deterrence and establish a customized treatment strategy that focuses on alleviating depressive symptoms."."

The study was carried out as a project to support outstanding scientists at local universities supported by the Korea Research Foundation, and was recently published in the international journal Frontiers in Psychiatry under the theme of 'Electrical Neurophysiological Characteristics of Adolescents with Non-Suicide Self-harm'.