Self-mutilation without suicidal ideation in adolescent students: limits, challenges and possibilities of preventive actions for teachers in the school context

The predominance of the researches that address self-mutilation in the health area in the literature reveals the need for studies of this topic in field of education. Therefore, this study aims to understand the challenges, limits and possibilities of teachers to manage self-mutilation without suicidal ideation (ASIS), with perspectives of preventive actions with adolescent students in the school context. It is about a theoretical review based on exploratory research, which uses a technical bibliographic and documental procedure. Analyzes the complexity of ASIS and it detachs the importance of in-depth discussions regarding the handling of the phenomenon by teachers. It recognizes that there are many challenges to be overcome by teachers, especially with regarding to the curriculum and taboos about the subject. The limits are multiple, especially regarding to the lack of training to manage self-mutilation, working conditions and the lack of a network support and the implementation of public policies. It presents as possibilities the teacher training, the prevention of ASIS in the regular curriculum as a school intervention and the empathic welcoming of everyone who makes the school happen. It concludes that this object of study is configured as a fertile and necessary field for future research.