Understanding self-harm
Introduction
Finally self-harm - the non-accidental act of harming oneself without suicidal intent by cutting, scratching or burning the skin and other tissue, by taking overdoses of prescription and over-the-counter medications, by bruising, by ingesting harmful substances or objects and by other methods - is being discussed in the media and researched by the academics.
Little by little, its meanings and functions are uncovered in writings by survivors and reports based on clinical experience and academic studies. SANE wanted to add to this research effort and in 2005 we launched a web based questionnaire charting the journey from first acts of self-harm through to the time when self-harm can be left behind, with a special focus on the social context in which self-harm takes place.
This report is intended as a source of information and most importantly, a discussion point for people who self-harm, their families, treatment professionals who work with people who self-harm and research professionals and students who work on the subject.
The report is in two parts: the ‘Short Report’ is web-based and summarises and discusses the results. The ‘Full Report’ is only available as a PDF and it starts by giving full details of the results from the study and concludes with the ‘Short Report’. You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to view the full report – it can be downloaded for free by clicking here.
Most of the questions we asked in the survey were open-ended, rather than e.g. tick boxes or menus to select pre-defined answer from. We chose this method of working to minimise the possibility of pre-judging the results we were going to get. Despite this, the best we can offer (the best anyone can offer) is an interpretation of what the survey participants have said. Consequently, if you disagree about something we have said, it may well be because our interpretation wasn’t the most appropriate one. Or if you don’t understand something, it may be because we haven’t expressed ourselves clearly enough. That is why we ask you to tell us what you think; ask questions and request clarifications; throw in examples or counter-examples – in other words, help us improve our report. There are instructions on how to go about it at the end of the ’Short Report’. The 'Short Report' will be peppered with discussion questions throughout, to indicate where we think the most interesting areas for development of ideas and understanding are. But naturally, you can comment on anything you read.
You can read a summary of the report online or download pdfs of the either the Executive Summary or the full report. See the links below:
Read the Understanding Self-harm Short Report online
Download the Understanding Self-harm Full Report
Study design: Emese Csipke (Imperial College, London), Outi Horne (SANE, London)
Data analysis: Outi Horne, Sarah Paul (SANE, London), Emese Csipke
Report authored by: Outi Horne, Sarah Paul
