Terms and definitions related to self-injurious thoughts and behaviours (SITB)
Self-Injurious thoughts and behaviours* | Self-harm† | Suicidal behaviour (SB) | Death by suicide |
Suicide attempt | |||
Interrupted suicide attempt | |||
Aborted suicide attempt | |||
Preparatory act§ | |||
Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI)‡ | Direct | ||
Indirect | |||
Thoughts of self-harm | Thoughts of NSSI‡ | ||
Suicidal ideation/thoughts (SI) or suicidality | Active SI with specific plan and intent¶ | ||
Active SI with some intent to act, without specific plan** | |||
Active SI with Any Methods without Intent to Act†† | |||
Non-specific active suicidal thoughts‡‡ | |||
Wish to be dead§§ |
*Nock et al.119
†Does not differentiate suicidal from non-suicidal self-harm.120
‡Our study will not focus on NSSI or thoughts of NSSI; these terms are shaded in grey as a result.
§Acts or preparation towards imminently making a suicide attempt (ie, anything beyond a verbalisation or thought, such as assembling a method or preparing for one’s death by suicide.
¶Thoughts of killing oneself with details of plan fully or partially worked out and some intent to carry it out.
**Active suicidal thoughts of killing oneself and reported intent to act on such thoughts.
††Thoughts of suicide and at least one method (but no specific time, place or method).
‡‡General, non-specific thoughts of wanting to end one’s life, without thoughts of specific methods.
§§Thoughts regarding a wish to be dead or not alive, or a desire to fall asleep and not wake up.