Self-Harm: Cutting the Bad out of Me

Harris, Jennifer

doi:10.1177/104973200129118345

Cited by 130 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…This perceived punishment was typically illustrated by such verbal behaviour from the ED care provider as you're wasting my time, suicidal behaviour is a sin, you're just wanting attention and other comments perceived by the individual as inappropriate and unwelcomed (Cerel et al 2006, Harris 2000, Summers & Happell 2003, van Loon et al 2004 (Olsson & Hansagi 2001, van Loon et al 2004). …”

Section: Consumer Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emergency department staff attitudes towards mental health consumers: A literature review and thematic content analysis

Clarke

Usick

Sanderson

et al. 2013

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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Visits to the Emergency Department (ED) for mental health reasons account for 10 to 15% of all visits. Consumers of mental health ED services, however, report that they often feel sent to the back of the queue and that their mental health concerns are not taken seriously, suggesting that societal stigma has impacted their care in the ED. In this paper, we systematically explore the research concerning the attitudes of ED professional staff towards those that present with issues related to mental health. Four themes emerge from the literature: consumer perspectives whose tenor is generally one of negativity; staff-reported attitudes and influencing factors such as age, experience, and confidence in working with mental health presentations; the environmental climate of the ED which may not be conducive to good mental health care; and interventions which have been used to evaluate changes in attitudes.

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Section: Consumer Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some research participants described what they perceived as ritual humiliation in EDs (Harris, 2000).…”

Section: Consumer Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency department staff attitudes towards mental health consumers: A literature review and thematic content analysis

Clarke

Usick

Sanderson

et al. 2013

Int J Mental Health Nurs

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“…The general response to this question was either "I feel sorry for them" (P3) or "I think it's a shame for them" (P6). However, the response of P2 was: (Harris, 2000). Our findings suggest that the sometimes negative perceptions of health care professionals may be a result of the work related pressures they face rather than reflecting general attitudes of the lay public (e.g.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…A number of these studies have found that in some cases, some health care professionals' responses to people who self-harm can be somewhat negative and unsympathetic (Law et al, 2009). For example, Harris (2000) conducted a qualitative correspondence study in which she contacted individuals who selfharm and asked them to describe their personal experiences in A&E departments. Several of the women in Harris' study expressed traumatic and unpleasant experiences in A&E following acts of self-harm.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative analysis of perceptions of self‐harm in members of the general public

Newton

Bale

2012

J of Public Mental Health

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Abstract.Purpose: Previous research into health care professionals' perceptions of self-harm has found that, although complex, in some cases, their perceptions can be somewhat negative and unsympathetic towards individuals who harm themselves. However, it is presently unclear whether these perceptions reflect more general attitudes to self-harm in broader social groups. The present study represents a preliminary investigation into perceptions of selfharm in the general public. Firstly, since there is no universal agreement on which behaviours constitute self-harm, this study aimed to investigate public perceptions of this, including whether participants identified more controversial behaviours such as eating disorders and body modification as methods of self-harm in addition to the more commonly identified behaviours such as cutting and burning. Secondly, it aimed to identify whether attitudes towards individuals who self-harm in a small sample of the general public were similar to the sometimes negative and unsympathetic perceptions of health care professionals demonstrated in some previous studies.Design/Methodology/Approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants, none of whom had any professional or academic experience or knowledge of self-harm, who were recruited via second acquaintances of the first author. A 2 matrix based thematic analysis method was used to analyse the data collected.Findings: The main findings of this study were that eating disorders were generally perceived as forms of self-harm while body modification was not, and that participants generally showed sympathy towards individuals who self-harm, especially when they perceived the behaviour to be associated with mental illness.Originality/Value: Although, given the small size of the sample, this should be considered a preliminary study, our findings suggest that developing a greater understanding of public perceptions of selfharm could have important implications for understanding mental health professionals' perceptions of the phenomenon. We suggest that stigma and negative perceptions of people who self-harm may not be inevitable and that further research in this area could be of value in informing public and professional education campaigns in this area.

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“…[4] This is a distinct field needing to be seen separately from suicide and para-suicide. [5,6] Self-injury needs to be understood as a meaningful behaviour displayed by the person in order to regulate emotions and stress. [7][8][9] In fact, the act of self-injury is aimed at the individual self-integrating and preserving life.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nurses knowledge and attitudes to individuals who self-harm: A quantitative exploration

Vine

Shahwan-Akl

Maude

et al. 2017

JHA

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Objective: Self-injury can be described as the deliberate destruction of the body without the intent to die, and is a distinct clinical presentation needing to be assessed separately from suicide and para-suicide. Nurses attitude to self-injury is a largely unexplored area particularly within Australia. The aim of this paper is to explore Australian general and mental health nurses' attitudes towards self-injury taking into account their preparation as registered nurses (RNs) or enrolled nurses (ENs) and length of experience. Methods: This was a mixed methods exploratory design study. Phase one used a combination of two established surveys, the Self-Harm Antipathy Scale (SHAS) and the Attitudes Towards Deliberate Self-Harm Questionnaire (ATDSHQ). Nurses who were either RNs or ENs, mental health educated (MHE) or not, working in the area of mental health or emergency departments (ED) were recruited through a number of professional nursing organisations. A total of 172 nurses completed the phase one online questionnaire. The results of this survey are reported in this paper. Results: The key findings indicated a significant relationship between years of mental health nursing experience and mental health nursing qualification. A significant difference was noted in the knowledge level of self-injury between the mental health nurses who had a greater knowledge compared to those who were not mental health educated. Lastly, the attitudes of nurses to self-injury were generally found to be positive. Conclusions: These results extend much of what is in the literature on knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of nurses to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and place these results in an Australian context. Further research to assess the effectiveness of increased education and community engagement should be undertaken.

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Self-Harm: Cutting the Bad out of Me

Abstract: The practice of self-harm is increasing in the United

Cited by 130 publications

References 2 publications

Emergency department staff attitudes towards mental health consumers: A literature review and thematic content analysis

Emergency department staff attitudes towards mental health consumers: A literature review and thematic content analysis

A qualitative analysis of perceptions of self‐harm in members of the general public

Nurses knowledge and attitudes to individuals who self-harm: A quantitative exploration

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