SANE spearheads self-harm campaign

Created: 2009-03-01 12:11:55

For some years, leading mental health charity SANE has been aware of what almost amounts to an epidemic of self-harm in all age groups, but particularly young men and women. A recent in-depth analysis of nearly 1,000 people undertaken by the charity revealed new insights into why people self harm. These findings will be developed by information obtained on an ongoing basis through interactive research on the SANE website.

SANE’s study highlights factors in self-harming behaviour that have previously not been discussed, such as the perceived need to hide thoughts and feelings that are believed to be unacceptable to others, and that the desire to keep self-harming a secret often arises from a concern about the impact that disclosure would have on family and friends.

Commenting on the study, Marjorie Wallace, SANE’s chief executive, said: “One of the most surprising findings is that more than 95% of participants said that self-harming had been positive and helped them combat their darker feelings. Many said they self-harmed to prevent themselves from attempting suicide. It is not, as some might believe, a failed suicide bid.”

The study also reveals that people who self-harm do not regard themselves as having an illness: over a third of participants who had recently harmed themselves reported having no mental health diagnosis. It found that the most effective intervention was not always medication or talking treatments. The most common reasons that people gave for stopping self-harming was when it interfered with their responsibilities, when they became concerned about its impact on others, and when they learned to control their lives in less destructive ways.

If this study is replicated, it has implications when people who self-harm are brought to the attention of GPs and those working in Accident & Emergency departments. Simply seeking to persuade people to stop would not necessarily solve the underlying reasons behind the behaviour and may fuel a sense of guilt and shame, making them more distressed.

Ian Hulatt, Mental Health Advisor at the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The RCN welcomes the publication of this report. Self-harm remains a challenging and often unspoken subject. We welcome materials that help us as nurses to better understand and care for individuals who use this method of coping with their distress.”

As one respondent to SANE’s survey said: “Currently I am off work with anxiety and depression, self-harming to a sickening extent and can see no way forward, however I can also see through the haze that I have a lot of experience to share and do have the skills necessary to put my experiences forward.  As a nurse I see the dismissive attitude from healthcare professionals and would love to be able to address the problem.”

In conclusion, Marjorie Wallace said: “Contrary to many people’s perceptions that self-harm is a way of attracting attention and sympathy, the survey found that that it is a silent cri de coeur that self-harmers use to protect families and others close to them from their mental pain. We need to get this message out to families who, if their child is self-harming, may feel that they are failing as parents. Our research suggests quite the opposite.”

For more information, please contact the SANE media department on 020-7422 5556 (or 07718 735121 out of hours).

Notes for Editors:

Other key findings

· Some respondents began harming themselves when they were as young as four, while others did not begin until they were in their late fifties
· Of those still harming when they answered the survey, almost half (47%) had been harming for more than five years, a quarter (27%) for more than 11 years, and 30 participants had been harming for more than 20 years
· More than 100 respondents were men
· 84% of respondents sought to hide their harming behaviour from their family and 66% from their friends
· The most common reason for self-harming given by respondents was to regulate their emotions, with 62% saying they hurt themselves when overwhelmed with feelings of anger, sadness, anxiety or self-loathing
· Of those who were self-harming when they responded to the survey, 20% were hurting themselves daily and 30% were harming themselves weekly
· The study showed that self-harm appears to serve a purpose, with more than 95% of participants saying they thought it helped them in some way or another
· The most commonly reported methods were: cutting and scratching (93%); burning the skin (28%); overdosing (20%); and bruising the body (17%)
· The body parts most frequently harmed were: arms (83%); thighs or legs (50%); stomach (19%); and wrists (14%).

Understanding Self-Harm

· The study, Understanding Self-Harm, by Outi Horne (SANE, London), Emese Csipke (Imperial College, London), and Sarah Paul (SANE, London), involved a web-based questionnaire answered by 946 participants. Of these participants, 61% had harmed within six months of completing the questionnaire, 28% had self-harmed more than six months previously, and 12% had never harmed themselves
· The Royal College of Nursing is incorporating the study as a reference in its forthcoming online learning package on self-harm for its members. SANE is also contacting community mental health teams (CMHTs) and other front line professionals throughout England with the results of the research
· The number of children admitted to hospital due to self-harm has risen by a third in five years, according to the National Health Service. Between 2002/3 and 2006/7 the figures rose from 11,891 to 15,955. During both periods, more than three times the number of girls were admitted as boys, but boys outnumbered girls among the under-10 age group
· Self-harm now affects at least 1 in 15 young people, and according to the Camelot Foundation, rates are higher in the UK than anywhere else in Europe
· In a treatment guideline issued in 2004, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) reported that of the 170,000 people a year who attended A&E departments because they had self-harmed, an estimated 80,000 never received a psychological assessment or follow-up, even though the risk of committing suicide after self-harming is 100 times greater than the average risk in the population.

To read the report in full, please go to: www.sane.org.uk/Research/SelfHarmIntro.