Systematic review and meta-analysis of mood stabilizers for nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents

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The Journal of clinical psychiatry Published May 20, 2026 Medically reviewed May 20, 2026 Study authors: Jin Weidong, Chen Zhehao, Chen Haihan, Di Letian, Sun Fengli PubMed ↗ DOI ↗ By Dr. Ji-eun Park, MD · Brain, Mind & Pain

Key Takeaway

Note that a meta-analysis of nine Chinese studies suggests mood stabilizers reduce self-injury severity in adolescents.

This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of mood stabilizers for adolescent patients with nonsuicidal self-injury in China. The analysis included nine studies comparing treatment with mood stabilizers such as Lithium, Valproate, Carbamazepine, Oxcarbazepine, and Lamotrigine against basic therapy alone. The primary outcome assessed was treatment response, with secondary outcomes covering depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and self-injury severity.

The synthesized findings suggest that the severity of anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and self-injury was significantly reduced following treatment with mood stabilizers. Additionally, anxiety, depression, and self-injury were significantly reduced compared to treatment without mood stabilizers. The response rate was significantly improved in the treated group, and the incidence of self-injury was significantly reduced.

Specific effect sizes, absolute numbers, and p-values were not reported in the source data. Safety data, including adverse events, serious adverse events, discontinuations, and tolerability, were also not reported. The follow-up duration was not reported. While the review provides a broad overview of potential benefits, the lack of quantitative precision and safety information limits the ability to draw definitive clinical conclusions regarding specific agents or long-term outcomes.

Study Details

Study typeMeta analysis

EvidenceLevel 1

PublishedMay 2026

PMID42159376

View Original Abstract ↓

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to deliberate, repeated acts of damaging one's own body tissue without suicidal intent. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the effectiveness of mood stabilizers in treating depressive adolescent patients with NSSI in China. Literature published before June 30, 2025, was included. Chinese databases searched included CBM (Chinese Biomedical Database), CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), WANFANG (Wanfang Database), and CSSCI (Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index); English databases included MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Searches used the following keywords: [Bipolar disorder OR depression OR NSSI] AND [Mood stabilizer OR Lithium OR Valproate OR Carbamazepine OR Oxcarbazepine OR Lamotrigine OR Antipsychotic OR Antidepressant]. Chinese and English literature related to the treatment of NSSI with mood stabilizers in adolescent patients in China was searched. Editorials, comments, letters, reviews, and case reports were excluded. Randomized controlled trials conducted in China comparing mood stabilizer augmentation of basic therapy versus basic therapy alone for treating NSSI were included, and studies evaluating mood stabilizer treatment for NSSI using pre-post designs were also included. A total of 9 studies were included, 4 comparative studies by control group and 5 comparative studies of before and after treatment. Indices of depression, anxiety, impulsivity, self-injury severity, and treatment response were synthesized and analyzed. Mean differences or standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used for symptom change. Odds ratios and their 95% CIs were also used for binary outcomes. Severity of anxiety, depression, impulsivity, and self-injury was significantly reduced following treatment with mood stabilizers. Compared to treatment without mood stabilizers, anxiety, depression, and self-injury were also significantly reduced, and the response rate was significantly improved in adolescents with depression and NSSI. The incidence of self-injury in these patients was significantly reduced by mood stabilizers. These results demonstrate the important role of mood stabilizers in treating NSSI and suggest that mood stabilization may be more critical than mere improvement of affective symptoms.