self-harm

Self-harm is not usually an attempt at taking our own life, but a way of expressing deep emotional feelings, such as low self-esteem. It is also a way to cope with traumatic events or situations, such as the death of a loved one, or an abusive relationship. Self-harm is not an illness, it is an expression of personal distress.

Our self-harm Blogs

Can green space help protect us from self-harm and suicide?

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Trish Darcy on a systematic review which suggests a protective association between green space exposure and all suicide-related outcomes. The protective associations were stronger for women than for men.

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Adolescents with disabilities at higher risk of self-harm, but intersectionality also a vital consideration

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Elisha Joshi reviews a study exploring the prevalence and risk factors for self-harm in adolescents with and without disabilities living in the UK.

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Is brief text messaging effective to reduce repeat hospital-treated self-harm?

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Amelia Mullett summarises an Australian RCT on the efficacy of a short message service brief contact intervention (SMS-SOS) in reducing repetition of hospital-treated self-harm.

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The enforced use of cameras in patients’ bedrooms may not reduce the incidence of self-harm

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John Baker looks at a recent study of the Oxevision system, which claims that their ‘vision-based patient monitoring’ reduces self-harm on acute mental health wards.

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Trigger warnings: to use, or not to use? That is the question

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A group of leading researches at Orygen Australia review a recent meta-analysis on the efficacy of trigger and content warnings on media outlets that indicates warnings may not be as helpful as we thought.

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Is targeting loneliness the key to releasing people from entrapment and preventing suicide?

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Liam Pikett summarises a cross-sectional study exploring the association of family, social and romantic loneliness with suicidal ideation and self-harm.

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There is a clear association between socioeconomic deprivation and self-harm

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A group of UCL masters student review a multi-centre study on socio-economic disparities in patients who present to hospital for self-harm in England, which found large variations in patients characteristics and pre-self-harm experiences.

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Exploring people’s experiences of psychotherapy for self-harm: the importance of the therapeutic alliance

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Hannah Wallace summarises a systematic review exploring people’s experiences of psychotherapy for self-harming behaviours, which highlights the importance of therapeutic rapport and the clinical competencies that support developing a good relationship between clinicians and service users.

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Sexual minorities, suicide and self-harm: new research in England deepens our understanding

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In his debut blog, Liam Mackay summarises a recent study that shows an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-harm in bisexual and lesbian/gay individuals. The study also highlights common mental health problems, discrimination and bullying as potential contributors to this excess risk.

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What emotions do male prisoners experience prior to suicide and violence?

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In this blog by Hilary Norman, she explores a new study on the emotions that male prisoners experience prior to suicide, self-harm or violence using a novel participatory visual method involving drawing their feelings.

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