Nonsuicidal self-injury disorder: The path to diagnostic validity and final obstacles

• Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) disorder is a condition for further study in DSM-5.
• We highlight evidence supporting NSSI disorder and barriers to its validity.
• A major barrier includes distinguishing NSSI disorder from existing conditions.
• Other barriers include determining its longitudinal stability and its clinical utility.
• Current evidence provides a strong foundation for the validity of NSSI disorder.

After decades of researchers calling for the creation of a self-injury syndrome, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders listed Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) disorder as a condition for further study. The purpose of this review is to provide information about the current status of research on NSSI disorder, current arguments for and against the disorder's creation, and areas that require further research. Specifically, we address the five biggest obstacles to validation: the need for clear delimitation from other psychiatric disorders as well as suicidal behavior, the need to fully explore the developmental course of the disorder, empirically establishing the most appropriate diagnostic criteria, and the potential clinical utility of creating a new disorder. With further research in these key areas, we expect that there will soon be enough evidence for the validity of NSSI disorder to warrant its inclusion in a future edition of the DSM.