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Emotional regulation in non-suicidal self-injury – research on the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

I. Makowska ,
K. Rymarczyk ,
D. Puzio ,
K. Pałka-Szafraniec  and
J. Garnier
I. Makowska*
Affiliation:
Medical University of Lodz, Child And Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Lodz, Poland
K. Rymarczyk
Affiliation:
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty Of Psychology, Warszawa, Poland
D. Puzio
Affiliation:
Medical University of Lodz, Child And Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Lodz, Poland
K. Pałka-Szafraniec
Affiliation:
Medical University of Lodz, Child And Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Lodz, Poland
J. Garnier
Affiliation:
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty Of Psychology, Warszawa, Poland
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

DSM-5 defines non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) as socially unaccepted, direct, repeated and deliberate harm done to one’s own body. It is estimated that in a general population approximately 13-29% of adolescents present NSSI, and 70-80% among hospitalized youth. It seems that emotional dysregulation is the core characteristic of NSSI manifesting by self-harm behaviors, impulsiveness, lack of emotional awareness and experiencing high intensity of negative emotion. Emotional dysregulation is a pivotal characteristic of NSSI. Rationale of this theory is provided by the results of psychological and psychophysiological studies as well as those presenting brain activity. Neuroimaging data point to a variant pattern of brain activity of adolescents with NSSI during perception of emotionally negative stimuli i.e. hyperactivity in amygdala – a structure responsible for fear and automatic reaction to exciting stimuli and low activity of inferior frontal gyrus area – a structure responsible for inhibition and interpretation of social interactions. This activity pattern suggests a disorder of cortico-subcortical neuronal connections.

Objectives

The aim was to verify tDCS as a therapeutic aid for patients who exhibit NSSI despite implementation of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy.

Methods

We investigated the modulation effect of tDCS treatment at the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) in hospitalized adolescents with NSSI.

Results

Preliminary tDCS stimulation results indicate potential usefulness of this method in regulating emotions and improving executive functions.

Conclusions

Prefrontal cortex stimulation may restore balance in aforementioned connections and, as a result, positively influence an emotional regulation i.e. lower the impulsiveness, agitation and, by doing so, decrease NSSI frequency.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

emotion regulationNSSITdCSAdolescents
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S445 - S446
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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