Naltrexone for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury
A Randomized, Double-Blinded Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Naltrexone in Improving Nonsuicidal Self-Injurious Behavior
1 other identifier
interventional
150
1 country
3
Brief Summary
This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of naltrexone in reducing nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior among individuals with nonsuicidal self-injury. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either naltrexone plus treatment as usual or placebo plus treatment as usual for 6 weeks. The primary objective is to determine whether naltrexone reduces the frequency of nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior compared with placebo. Secondary objectives include evaluating changes in clinical severity, suicidal ideation, self-injury-related urges, ecological momentary assessment measures, and safety outcomes.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Jun 2026
Typical duration for not_applicable
3 active sites
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
Click on a node to explore related trials.
Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
May 19, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
June 1, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
June 11, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
December 1, 2027
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
June 1, 2028
June 11, 2026
May 1, 2026
1.5 years
May 19, 2026
June 8, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Total Number of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Episodes During the 6-Week Treatment Period
The total number of nonsuicidal self-injury episodes during the 6-week treatment period will be assessed by blinded clinical evaluators. A lower number indicates fewer nonsuicidal self-injury episodes.
Baseline to Week 6
Secondary Outcomes (17)
Change From Baseline in Modified Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale Adapted for Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Urges Total Score
Baseline, Week 2, Week 4, and Week 6
Change From Baseline in Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale Suicidal Ideation Severity Score
Baseline, Week 2, Week 4, and Week 6
Change From Baseline in Clinical Global Impressions-Severity Score
Baseline, Week 2, Week 4, and Week 6
Number of Event-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Reports of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Urges
During the 6-week intervention period
Number of Event-Based Ecological Momentary Assessment Reports of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Behavior
During the 6-week intervention period
- +12 more secondary outcomes
Study Arms (2)
Naltrexone Group
EXPERIMENTALParticipants will receive Naltrexone 50mg orally once daily for 6 weeks, in addition to their current Treatment as Usual (TAU).
Placebo Group
PLACEBO COMPARATORParticipants will receive a matching placebo orally once daily for 6 weeks, in addition to their current Treatment as Usual (TAU).
Interventions
Matching placebo indistinguishable from the active drug, administered once daily.
Pure opioid antagonist administered 50mg once daily.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Participants must meet all of the following criteria:
- Individuals aged 16 years or older.
- Individuals with clinically significant nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior.
- Individuals who are able to understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent. For minors, consent from a legal guardian and assent from the participant will be obtained according to applicable regulations.
- Individuals who are able to comply with study procedures, including clinical visits, medication administration, and study assessments.
- Women of childbearing potential must have a negative urine pregnancy test at screening and agree to use appropriate contraception during the study period.
You may not qualify if:
- Participants meeting any of the following criteria will be excluded:
- Current serious suicidal ideation or high suicide risk, as determined by the investigator.
- Current opioid use, opioid dependence, or use of opioid-containing medications.
- Current use of opioid antagonists or medications that may interact with naltrexone, including methadone or buprenorphine.
- Use of naltrexone within 1 week before screening.
- Positive naloxone challenge test or positive urine opioid test, if applicable.
- Known hypersensitivity to naltrexone or any component of the investigational product.
- Active liver disease, active hepatitis, or clinically significant hepatic impairment.
- Clinically significant renal impairment.
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Intellectual disability, organic brain disorder, or other condition that may interfere with the participant's ability to understand study procedures or complete assessments.
- Inability to read or write Korean sufficiently to complete study assessments.
- Documented prior non-response to naltrexone for nonsuicidal self-injury, as judged by the investigator.
- Any other clinically significant medical or psychiatric condition that, in the opinion of the investigator, would make participation inappropriate or unsafe.
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Seoul National University Hospitallead
- Asan Medical Centercollaborator
- Uijeongbu Eulji University Hospitalcollaborator
Study Sites (3)
Uijeongbu Eulji Medical Center
Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do, 11759, South Korea
Seoul National University Hospital
Seoul, Jongno-gu, 03080, South Korea
Asan medical center
Seoul, Songpa-gu, 05505, South Korea
Related Publications (14)
Harris PA, Taylor R, Minor BL, Elliott V, Fernandez M, O'Neal L, McLeod L, Delacqua G, Delacqua F, Kirby J, Duda SN; REDCap Consortium. The REDCap consortium: Building an international community of software platform partners. J Biomed Inform. 2019 Jul;95:103208. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2019.103208. Epub 2019 May 9.
PMID: 31078660RESULTBradburn NM, Rips LJ, Shevell SK. Answering autobiographical questions: the impact of memory and inference on surveys. Science. 1987 Apr 10;236(4798):157-61. doi: 10.1126/science.3563494.
PMID: 3563494RESULTClark DM, Teasdale JD. Diurnal variation in clinical depression and accessibility of memories of positive and negative experiences. J Abnorm Psychol. 1982 Apr;91(2):87-95. doi: 10.1037//0021-843x.91.2.87. No abstract available.
PMID: 7200102RESULTShiffman S, Stone AA, Hufford MR. Ecological momentary assessment. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2008;4:1-32. doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091415.
PMID: 18509902RESULTSonne S, Rubey R, Brady K, Malcolm R, Morris T. Naltrexone treatment of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1996 Mar;184(3):192-5. doi: 10.1097/00005053-199603000-00011. No abstract available.
PMID: 8600226RESULTCasner JA, Weinheimer B, Gualtieri CT. Naltrexone and self-injurious behavior: a retrospective population study. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1996 Oct;16(5):389-94. doi: 10.1097/00004714-199610000-00008.
PMID: 8889912RESULTBuzan RD, Thomas M, Dubovsky SL, Treadway J. The use of opiate antagonists for recurrent self-injurious behavior. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1995 Fall;7(4):437-44. doi: 10.1176/jnp.7.4.437.
PMID: 8555746RESULTKars H, Broekema W, Glaudemans-van Gelderen I, Verhoeven WM, van Ree JM. Naltrexone attenuates self-injurious behavior in mentally retarded subjects. Biol Psychiatry. 1990 Apr 1;27(7):741-6. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(90)90589-t.
PMID: 2158355RESULTMcCauley E, Berk MS, Asarnow JR, Adrian M, Cohen J, Korslund K, Avina C, Hughes J, Harned M, Gallop R, Linehan MM. Efficacy of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents at High Risk for Suicide: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Aug 1;75(8):777-785. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1109.
PMID: 29926087RESULTMehlum L, Tormoen AJ, Ramberg M, Haga E, Diep LM, Laberg S, Larsson BS, Stanley BH, Miller AL, Sund AM, Groholt B. Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents with repeated suicidal and self-harming behavior: a randomized trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2014 Oct;53(10):1082-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2014.07.003. Epub 2014 Jul 22.
PMID: 25245352RESULTAboujaoude E, Salame WO. Naltrexone: A Pan-Addiction Treatment? CNS Drugs. 2016 Aug;30(8):719-33. doi: 10.1007/s40263-016-0373-0.
PMID: 27401883RESULTBresin K, Gordon KH. Endogenous opioids and nonsuicidal self-injury: a mechanism of affect regulation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2013 Mar;37(3):374-83. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.01.020. Epub 2013 Jan 20.
PMID: 23339875RESULTBlasco-Fontecilla H, Fernandez-Fernandez R, Colino L, Fajardo L, Perteguer-Barrio R, de Leon J. The Addictive Model of Self-Harming (Non-suicidal and Suicidal) Behavior. Front Psychiatry. 2016 Feb 1;7:8. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00008. eCollection 2016.
PMID: 26869941RESULTVega D, Sintes A, Fernandez M, Punti J, Soler J, Santamarina P, Soto A, Lara A, Mendez I, Martinez-Gimenez R, Romero S, Pascual JC. Review and update on non-suicidal self-injury: who, how and why? Actas Esp Psiquiatr. 2018 Jul;46(4):146-55. Epub 2018 Jul 1.
PMID: 30079928RESULT
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Interventions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- TRIPLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
- Masking Details
- Participants and clinical outcome assessors will be blinded to treatment allocation. Randomization and investigational product assignment will be managed separately by designated unblinded personnel who are not involved in clinical outcome assessments.
- Purpose
- TREATMENT
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- Professor
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
May 19, 2026
First Posted
June 11, 2026
Study Start
June 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
December 1, 2027
Study Completion (Estimated)
June 1, 2028
Last Updated
June 11, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-05
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will not share
Individual participant data will not be publicly shared due to privacy and ethical restrictions. De-identified data may be made available from the corresponding investigator upon reasonable request and with appropriate institutional approval.