Young Adults Looking Back at Their Experiences of Treatment and Care for Nonsuicidal Self-injury During Adolescence: a Qualitative Study

Background: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is associated with stigma, and negative attitudes among healthcare professionals toward NSSI have been reported. A person-centered approach that focuses on how individuals with lived experience of NSSI perceive the treatment and care they receive is invaluable in reducing barriers to help-seeking and improving treatment and mental healthcare services. The aim of the current qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of young adults when they look back upon their experiences of psychiatric treatment for NSSI during adolescence.

Methods: Twenty-six individuals with lived experience of NSSI who were in contact with child and adolescent psychiatry during adolescence were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Three main themes were developed: Changed perceptions in retrospect, The importance of a collaborative conceptualization and Lasting impression of the relationship. Participants' perception of themselves as well as the treatment changed over time. The importance of a joint understanding of NSSI and an agreed-upon treatment focus was emphasized. The relationship to the mental health professionals, and experiences of how NSSI was communicated, were salient several years later.

Conclusions: Healthcare professionals need to communicate about NSSI in a respectful manner and include the perspective of the adolescent with lived experience of NSSI in a joint conceptualization of NSSI and treatment focus.