Rivista di formazione e aggiornamento professionale del pediatra e del medico di base, fondata nel 1982. In collaborazione con l'Associazione Culturale Pediatri.
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L’autolesionismo non suicidario

Non suicidal self-injuring: a case report

Massimo Ronconi
Pediatra di Famiglia, Castelgomberto (VI)

Gennaio 2026 | DOI: 10.53126/MEBXXIXG017

Abstract
This case study focuses on a 14-year-old girl presenting with self-harming behaviours, reported as a means to cope with deep emotional emptiness. Despite high academic achievement and advanced language skills, her clinical history reveals long-standing difficulties in social interaction, behavioural rigidity, sensory sensitivities and motor stereotypies dating back to early childhood. Upon entering high school, she experienced a decline in academic performance, feelings of inadequacy and somatic complaints (chronic headaches), while she maintained a perfectionist and emotionally guarded stance that led her to refuse psychotherapy. The clinical picture suggests the importance of looking beyond self-harm as a primary symptom to investigate potential underlying neurodivergent traits, such as high-masking Autism Spectrum Disorder.
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