The British novelist Nicky Singer talks about becoming a writer, the role of editors and about who decides what can--and what cannot--be published on either side of the Atlantic. Her three novels explore territory which can make publishers nervous: "Feather Boy" (initiation rites and domestic violence), "Doll" (self-harm) and…

Cornelia de Lange syndrome is reported to be associated with self-injurious behavior (SIB) and social avoidance. We used analog methodology to examine the effect of manipulating adult social contact on social communicative behaviors and SIB in 16 children with this syndrome. For 9 participants engagement behavior was related to levels of adult…

Autism symptoms, including impairments in language development, social interactions, and motor skills, have been difficult to model in rodents. Since children exposed in utero to sodium valproate (VPA) demonstrate behavioral and neuroanatomical abnormalities similar to those seen in autism, the neurodevelopmental effects of this antiepileptic…

A young person showing strong destructive symptoms often has too much hatred toward adults, other authorities, and society for the "voice of reason" to penetrate or reach some fixed point in his or her psyche. Music, however, activates emotions raising problems of the real field of life to be dealt with in symbolic form. This paper discusses the…

The concept of the "voice" as developed by Robert W, Firestone (1984 and later) has been hypothesized as an essential mechanism in self-destructive behavior in general and suicide in particular. This study applies the theory of the voice to the development of the Firestone Voice Scale for Self-Destructive Behavior (FVSSDB). The FVSSDB…

A survey of 35 cases of reported abuse to individuals aged 60 and older in the state of Tennessee sought to determine demographic characteristics of the abused, perpetrators of elder abuse and neglect, types of abuse that occur, and any existence of relationships in elder abuse and neglect between urban and rural counties and eastern and western…

This document presents data from phase one of a three-phase study examining suicide rates among farm residents in five states (Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin) between 1980 and 1985. The first phase is described as involving identification of suicide cases and an initial analysis of their causes. The report contains a…

Dually diagnosed adolescents suffering from both severe emotional disturbance and substance abuse/addiction constitute a special population which poses a challenge to health professionals in special education as well as clinical settings. The prevalence of substance use, abuse, and addiction has been shown to be significantly above the national…

The report documents the theoretical basis and application of massage therapy, with six students who exhibited self-injurious behaviors (SIB), in two studies. The first study investigated the relationship between physical and/or emotional stress and self-abusive behavior in five severely mentally impaired students. Subjects received two to three…

The effects of alternate forms of sensory stimulation on self-injurious behavior (SIB) in a profoundly retarded 24-year-old female were evaluated. Both vibratory stimulation (a massager) and visual stimulation (flashing red light) equally and significantly decreased the subject's SIB in both treatment and nontreatment environments. (Author/DB)

Examined the relationship of various interpersonal, emotional, and cognitive variables to suicidal ideation and behavior in college students. Used self-report measures of life stress, faulty cognitions, loneliness, depression, hopelessnesss, family cohesiveness, adaptive reasons for living, and suicidal ideation and behavior. Developed a…

Consists of two articles on suicide among young people. Bauer and Shea outline what teachers should know about children at risk for suicide, including symptoms and risk factors. Prevention recommendations are provided. Rickgarn presents statistics on youth suicide, including racial patterns and the use of violent means. (CH)

Discusses dysfunctional behavior patterns and early signs of vulnerability linked to adolescent suicide. Early childhood teachers have the greatest opportunities to identify these behaviors and break destructive patterns. A team approach to addressing individual students' needs works best. Profiles of six young suicides are presented. Includes six…

Two experiments exposed college student volunteers to rock music with or without suicidal content. Music and videos with suicide content appeared to prime implicit cognitions related to suicide but did not affect variables associated with increased suicide risk. (Contains 60 references and 3 tables.) (Author/JBJ)

Hostility and anxiety reduction models were simultaneously tested in order to determine whether self-mutilation (SM) in adolescence was characterized by greater feelings of anxiety and hostility. Students who SM reported significantly more anxiety and more intropunitive and extrapunitive hostility. Prior to SM feelings of both hostility and…