Quando il dolore diventa una "addiction". "Craving" e "mental capacity" nell’autolesionismo non suicidario delle adolescenti

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescent females is increasingly conceptualized as a behavioral addiction driven by intense craving and supported by neurobiological markers such as HPA axis dysregulation. While NSSI constitutes an important risk factor for suicide, rigid parental consent frameworks frequently present critical barriers to immediate help-seeking. Systematic evidence confirms that minors aged 13 and older generally possess decision-making capacity comparable to adults. Consequently, framing NSSI within an addiction paradigm could justify early intervention pathways akin to existing regulatory models for substance abuse (e.g., anonymous direct access), provided that case-by-case mental capacity is assessed, to navigate transient emotional and craving-induced impairments. Ultimately, integrating addiction-oriented techniques into current practices ensures an ethical, autonomous, and family-inclusive approach to adolescent suicide prevention in real-world scenarios.