Towards a new perspective on deliberate self‐harm in an area of multiple deprivation

Abstract

Based on 50 qualitative interviews with people who have repeatedly taken overdoses, this paper presents a new perspective for understanding deliberate self-harm. The perspective is new in the sense that it (1) avoids over-reliance on risk factors and (2) places agency at the centre of the analysis to document how the respondents' artfully constructed accounts of their lives minimise agency and constitute life in a perpetual present.

The association between suicide and the socio-economic characteristics of geographical areas: a systematic review

“…The individual hopelessness a person experiences may be compounded by the similar situations of others in one's neighborhood and community. Area deprivation may reinforce the hopelessness that comes from seeing that other similar individuals are also 'not living the life desired ' (Beck et al 1974;Redley, 2003). And this may be in stark contrast to the affluence observed outside of the neighborhood.…”

Narratives of suicide in psychological autopsy: Bringing lay knowledge back in

“…An example of one such broader approach is Redley's study exploring, drug overdosing by deliberate self-harmers (Redley, 2003). Redley suggests that ''regularities of interpretation'' in self-harmers accounts of why they overdosed, showed them to be offering culturally acceptable, normative explanations; explanations in which they depicted themselves as victims of circumstances beyond their control.…”

“…a discourse organised around time and consequential events in a 'world' created by the narrator'' (Riessman, 1990(Riessman, , p. 1195). One major advantage of this kind of narrative approach for advancing our understanding of suicidal events, is that it would, we believe, help shift attention away from a concern solely with the identification of causes (e.g., mental illness), to ''socially created meanings, motives and intentions'' (Redley, 2003). If such an approach were to inform attempts to understand suicidal acts, it would, we believe, open up the possibility of new insights into how it is some people come to end their own lives.…”

Self-injury as Embodied Emotion Work: Managing Rationality, Emotions and Bodies

“…Sociology 46 (3) 2007), young people (Scourfield et al, 2011) and clinical patients (Hadfield et al, 2009;Redley, 2003). An exception to this is the work of Adler and Adler (2007) who have examined the sociological characteristics of self-injury from a deviance and social learning perspective, using a more diverse, community-based sample.…”