Why people self harming

It's not uncommon to feel numb or empty as a result of overwhelming feelings. Self-harm may provide a temporary sense of feeling again or a way to express negative emotions.

It can turn invisible thoughts or feelings into something visible. You may feel it is one way to have a sense of control over your life, feelings, or body. Particularly if you feel other things in your life are out of control.

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Previous research has also found an association between parental criticism and self-harm Yates et al. The reports from young people in the current study suggest that the resulting sense of isolation or distressing emotions act as mediator between relationship difficulties and conflict and self-harm. Understanding how Joiners theory might apply to self-harm may be a useful direction for the field 3. Being exposed to others self-harm was identified as a trigger for self-harm, which is consistent with the literature McMahon et al.

Previous research has shown that graphic images lead to comparison and competitiveness regarding the severity of wounds, and that graphic images can lead to young people believing self-harm is an acceptable coping method Lewis and Baker, ; Baker and Lewis, A key theme from this study, perhaps not surprisingly given the findings about the very wide range of situations and emotions that can be triggering, was the idiosyncratic nature of the self-help strategies young people found helpful.

Young people were adamant that what might be deemed helpful will vary according to the individual, their environment, the triggering situation, mood, and level of distress. This finding makes sense in the context of research showing that individuals engage in self-harm for a variety of reasons Rodham et al. Therefore, an important finding of this study is that strategies to support young people who self-harm must address these complexities. For example, participants highlighted that distraction strategies needed to be matched to the type and intensity of the distressing emotion experienced.

Young people highlighted the need to ensure that a range of options is available to choose from and that those using the strategy would need to select what was appropriate to their experience and the particular situation they found themselves in.

Building connections with others was reported by young people in this study as an important strategy for overcoming a sense of isolation, which was identified as an important trigger. However, consistent with previous research Doyle et al.

Participants wanted channels and templates to support them in making connections when they needed them most and provided a number of useful suggestions for a digital intervention to support social connectedness through messages to significant others and a moderated chat function.

In terms of formal therapeutic interventions for young people at risk of self-harm, inclusion of the family and other supports is often emphasized Fortune et al. Changing the environment is a strategy that is particularly well supported by previous research as it not only facilitates engagement with others — reducing feelings of isolation — it also engages behavioral activation, a key component of cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves small achievable tasks that increase positive affect by creating a sense of mastery or change in focus Hopko et al.

Participants in this study acknowledged that they can be useful as a discrete method to be used when in public. However, they also noted that mimicking strategies were inadequate in the face of severe distress, and can be perceived as potentially condescending and invalidating.

The participants in this study were help-seeking individuals who had sought professional help through secondary and tertiary mental health services as well as through general practice and private psychological services.

Given this, these findings may not generalize to young people who engage in self-harm but have not sought help. While participants were all help-seeking, we did not systematically collect information about mental health diagnoses. Specific diagnoses may result in consistent reactions to particular kinds of triggers, but this was not explicitly explored.

That our participants represented an array of diagnoses and psychosocial issues may also in part contribute to the finding about the idiosyncratic nature of self-help strategies.

Finally, given the retrospective nature of the study, participants may have forgotten or inaccurately recalled details of triggers and helpful strategies. Strengths included the systematic literature review undertaken to guide the development of the interview schedule to ensure all questions were relevant, and the robust frameworks followed for qualitative analysis. Young people at risk of self-harm require strategies to support them in moments when they are experiencing distressing emotions and have an urge to self-harm.

The research has highlighted that these strategies need to help young people manage distressing emotions and support them to connect with others. An important aspect of such strategies is helping young people to become aware of their triggers, including the contexts and situations, but also the arising psychological distress that precedes their urge to self-harm.

Young people in this study identified a large number of potentially helpful strategies to manage self-harm urges, while highlighting that different strategies will work for different people, in different settings and at different times.

Through its unique findings relating to the mediating role of distressing emotions and social isolation in prompting the urge to self-harm, the potential inadequacies of mimicking strategies, and alternate activities young people engage in and find helpful when experiencing the urge to self-harm, this research highlights the importance of individual strategies that help a young person to use strategies that assist with emotion regulation and to feel more connected to others.

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation, to any qualified researcher. All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. SH and JR conceived on this project and developed the methodology. KA and AS undertook the research as part of the requirements of the Honours in Psychology La Trobe University , and along with SH interviewed all the young people, transcribed the interviews, and took a lead in undertaking the analysis with input from all the authors.

SH drafted the manuscript with substantial input from other authors who all approved the manuscript for final submission. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Claes, L. Self-injurious behavior: differential diagnosis and functional differentiation. Clark, T. Auckland: University of Auckland, Google Scholar. Cottrell, D. Effectiveness of systemic family therapy versus treatment as usual for young people after self-harm: a pragmatic, phase 3, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Lancet 5, — Cox, G. Indicated psychosocial interventions for self-harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in children and young people: what?

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