Edyta is looking for people to interview about their lives and reliance upon self-injury. Naturally, interviews will be treated strictly confidentially and participant’s identities will be protected.

If you’d be willing to speak to her, you should be:

• at least 20 years of age;
• in employment (part-time or full-time);
• relying on self-injury from time to time;
• without suicidal intentions; and
• not currently undergoing therapy or counselling.

Interviews would be face to face in an agreed location, and Edyta is based in London but is willing to travel to interview you.

“Self-harm is a common behaviour that is known to have a poor response to treatment. The widespread perception of self-harm places an emphasis on the negative aspects of the behaviour. However, there is also a less known view that constructs self-harm as a positive behaviour. Therefore, this research aims to explore the understanding of hope and hopelessness in the stories on self-harm.”

Please email info@firstsigns.org.uk for more information.

What follows is a very brief outline of several of the main findings, which I hope you find interesting.

To start with I noted that there is a large amount of research available that attempts to force our understanding of self-injury into a medical or clinical perspective. This research is useful to an extent, however it fails to grasp self-injury, as it really exists in the lives of many individuals. This is highlighted by the majority of those who took part in my study who describe their use of self-injury as not being directly associated with an illness, a disabling psychiatric or psychological condition. To the contrary, the use of self-injury provided a means to cope with (or as several said “…manage…”) highly distressing aspects of their lives and to maintain a level of normality!

The women and men explained how a wide range of factors prompted their use of self-injury, including:

• Social factors e.g. difficulties in interacting with others
• Emotional factors e.g. overwhelming emotional distress
• Cognitive factors e.g. negative thoughts and memories
• Physiological factors e.g. the need to feel physical pain, damage or to bleed
• Communication factors e.g. being verbally discounted or ignored (nobody to listen)
• Occupational factors e.g. having difficulty in education or in work demands/pressures
• Behavioural factors e.g. using different forms of self-injury

*(Please note I have only used a few of the many examples described by those who took part)

These factors were found to vary according to the individual’s own unique set of experiences, circumstances and needs.

*** TRIGGER WARNING***

‘Be safe’ before reading further.

The actual use of either covert (secret) or overt (not hidden) self-injury became practiced over time. This was mainly based on the individuals’ developing their knowledge and understanding of how to safely cause minimal bodily damage with maximum effect (with no A+E visits). Several people described how they learnt to use a combination of covert and overt self-injury e.g. using self-injury to privately relieve unbearable / high levels of emotional distress and alternatively using self-injury as a form of non-verbal communication (signaling to others that they could no longer cope on their own).

Those who took part described a wide range of consequences from using self-injury, including:

• Relief from overwhelming emotional and cognitive distress
• Maintaining a persona (image that all is okay) in a social context
• Relief from not being able to think or feel
• Regulating (or stabilising) severe swings in mood
• An alternative to communicating/expressing and sharing distressing thoughts and feelings with others.
• Creating a sense of empowerment and control
• Obtaining a nice/warm feeling (emotionally)
• Using self-injury to create a self-care situation

… there were many other descriptions made – too many to mention in this summary.

It was identified that the prolonged use (over a number of years) of self-injury led to the development of multiple functions in the use of self-injury. It become a planned and carefully implemented activity, which in addition to coping with high levels of distress and/or dissociation, enabled the person to live, to survive, to continue, to feel strong, to be in control, to maintain their persona… etc…and for many prevented them from taking more serious / destructive actions and / or from becoming ill.

However, importantly those who did stop using self-injury described how (through their own efforts and the support of others) they experienced improved social condition, meaningful relationships, the use of alternative activities, and improved communication or expression of thoughts and feelings. Several people explained how utilising opportunities to talk was the most influential factor in reducing their use of self-injury. They were able to express outwardly their internal distress. Also, it was noted that writing poetry and / or a diary of thoughts and feelings helped with this process of expression.

For the majority of adults who took part in this project self-injury remains an option available to them – as one person said to me:

“…my self-injury is about me coping with the very difficult issues I face in my life and I don’t want to trouble others with all this stuff… it’s (self-injury) about living… it’s there if I need it…but I have learnt that it is a far better option to talk… and if I keep talking I won’t need to turn to it!”

This is a short summary of my research and I hope to write a more detailed account in the near future.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Bye for now. Andy Barton-Breck

Junk mail piles up at our door, asking us to bag up our old toys and clothes (as if we have old clothes *every two weeks*!) and leaflets ask us to sign up for Direct Debits to support the homeless in London, the hungry in Africa.

We all care, but we don’t all have the money or the emotional strength to take all these requests seriously do we? Do we? If I read every word of every request that came through my door I think I’d end up crying on the kitchen floor, unable to go to work before I’d signed the 18th Direct Debit agreeement…

I feel like a heartless ******** putting them in the recycling tub, or on top of the fridge for ‘when I get home’…

I know I give what I can each and every month; I have my favourite causes, voluntary orgs and charities that I donate to every payday, but we’re all asked to donate more and more aren’t we?

Are we being asked for too much? Do we hope our parents give more then us, or do we give more than our parents?

Would you like to take our mini-survey? If you’d like to share more of your thoughts please leave an anonymous comment below the post.

Cheers,

Wedge

Research research research – we need research – hard facts and data to interpret, to inform and change our behaviour. As a society, our Government, or employers, our health-care workers, need evidence to base their actions on. It makes perfect sense of course – we can’t take action based on whims – we need to know what we’re doing and why. We need to know what has the biggest impact for the buck, so we can spend money wisely and reap the best rewards. But whose statistics do we trust?

Those skin-care adverts on the tele say that 73% of women tested agreed the cream made them appear youthful. Then you read the small print and you find that they tested 35 women. What’s 73% of 35? Hmm, so basically *some* women liked this product after we gave it to them for free for a month, and some others didn’t. It’s hardly relevant to the whole country is it, when they only ask a handful of selected people.

At FirstSigns, we never claim to know how many people in the UK or in the world self-injure or self-harm. We’re asked for the stat a lot – as if knowing whether it’s 100,000 or 150,000 people will help us reach those people.

At FirstSigns, we look for better ways to support our members and help the many thousands of people who visit our websites. So yes, we sometimes ask research questions, and yes, we get statistics from these. We learn a little more about self-injury, and a little more about our members, but we don’t go around claiming that answers from 1000 people represent the country.

We know that there are no statistics that will help an individual in distress.

This isn’t a numbers game; we’re in this because we know, from the inside, how lonely and despair-filled self-injury can be.

So, is the UK happy or sad? With all the research going on all the time (and yes, 3^rd year University Pyschology Students often want to study depression and self-injury) do we know if the UK is getting happier or sadder?

Well, the Guardian commissioned Echo Research to look into boys’ lifestyles and found that:

• 95% believe their career prospects are good;
• 94% are happy in their home and family lives;
• 93% are happy in their social lives;
• 91% are happy in their school and work lives.

Based on 1000 boys.

That sounds pretty happy to me; sounds like parents and teachers just need to worry about less tha 9% of boys then – that’s just three lads per classroom.

The NSPCC might disagree.

The Telegraph reports that the NSPCC finds that 33% of 11-16 year olds are ‘upset, depressed, angry or stressed’.

Well, if the boys are happy, does that mean that the girls are depressed? I don’t think so. I think we’re looking at research bias. I think the Guardian with Echo Research have ‘found’ one thing in one area of society and the NSPCC have found something else in another area.

The NSPCC found that 49% of girls were emotionally distressed ‘most of the time’. Everyone deserves the space to experience sadness, stress and even anger at times (we are emotional creatures after all) but ‘most of the time’ (if true) is worrying.

I’m not going to remind you that ‘more girls turn to self-harm than boys’ because we don’t think it’s true; see our male pages here and our factsheet for men. Stats tell us that more girls hurt themselves than boys, but of course those statistics are created when a girl tells someone they have hurt themselves. What if boys just don’t tell, and just don’t get counted? Anyway, I digress.

The NSPCC found that 20% of children (1,200 children) said it was easier to talk about their true feelings online. At FirstSigns, we’ve always understood this. Self-injury is the ‘hidden affliction’; self-harm is the ‘silent hurt’. We don’t talk. We don’t tell. But we can find space online to open up, to look at ourselves and even inspire others to reduce their self-harm. That’s what our Message Board is about, and we’ve had a fabulously supportive and active community for many years now.

{Wedge}

The journalist would ideally would like to find a female participant. She would like to speak to a young person *and* her family about the support they have received to tackle self-injury. Alternatively she would like to speak to a woman who self-injured from a very early age and has now moved away from self-injury.

We are told it will be a very positive article focused on the treatment and recovery process and, if published, the agency will make a donation to the volunteer to thank them for their time. The participant and her family will be able to read and amend the text before publication to ensure they are completely happy with it.

The interview will involve a friendly chat and some photographs in London. However, if the volunteer doesn’t live in London then the interview could take place over the phone and a photographer* would be sent to visit the family pretty much anywhere in the UK at any convenient time.

The volunteer would also need to supply some old photographs* of themselves which would be copied and returned to them.

*FirstSigns does not support the publication of pictures of scars / injuries and we will make it clear to the journalist that no such photos should be taken.

If anyone is interested please email Jules@FirstSigns.org.uk for further details.

Many thanks,

Wedge and Jules

INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH

Your Personal Experiences of Self-Injury

My name is Andy, I am a PhD Student from the University of Greenwich, School of Health and Social Care. I am conducting research that looks into the personal experiences of adults who self-injured during their adolescence.

If you meet the following participation criteria it would be great to hear from you:

a) Aged between 30 and 50 years of age.

b) Generally in good health.

c) Living within the community.

d) Self-injured during you adolescence.

e) Still self-injure or may have stopped.

f) Are not a hospital in-patient.

g) Are not taking antipsychotic medication.

Purpose

This study will examine your experiences of self-injury during adolescence.

In order to do this I will arrange an interview with you where you will be given the opportunity to talk freely and openly and describe your experiences – your own ‘story of self-injury’ – in a safe environment and without fear of being judged or of any social stigma or implications.

Your account of self-injury is crucial in the process of developing a better understanding of adolescent self-injury and I will support you in doing this by asking you some questions during your interview about your self-injury.

Location and Time
Your interview will last for approximately 1 hour and will take place at either an agreed location convenient for you (your home town) or at the University of Greenwich.

Deadline

As the research is ongoing over the following year there I have a good level of flexibility regarding timing so I can fit in the interview around your needs and schedule.

Travel Expenses

Following your attendance of the interview you will receive your fixed amount for expenses of £25.00. Therefore if you live at a distance from London it may be agreed that I travel to you – this arrangement will mean that you should not incur travel costs.

Details

a) At a convenient time for you I will arrange to have a phone conversation with you to answer any questions or concerns you may have and to briefly discuss the participation criteria (stated above).

b) I will then forward you a ‘Participant Information and Briefing Pack’ by email or post.

This will give you the opportunity to read through the pack in your own time and contact me with any questions or concerns about the research.

c) After reading the pack if you want to proceed in taking part then simply contact me to arrange an interview. Also, please let me know about any personal needs / arrangements that need to be made to enable you to take part.

c) Attend an informal interview.

d) Following the informal interview you will receive a debriefing, be provided with the opportunity to ask questions or express any concerns and to give your feedback.

Confidentiality

From the onset of showing an interest in taking part and throughout your participation you can be assured that I am bound by legislation to ensure your anonymity and treat what you say in the strictest of confidence.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Andy

If you are interested in hearing more from Andy, please email Wedge on Wedge@lifesigns.org.uk with the email subject of ‘Andy’.

*APPROVED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH ETHICS COMMITTEE APRIL 2008

Caroline is hoping that the chance to talk about their experiences and feelings in a safe environment, and the opportunity to have their voice heard (plus potentially change future treatment by health professionals) may encourage some response.

Volunteers must 18 or over and would be required to participate in an interview that should last approximately 45-60 minutes. The interview will be tape-recorded and will take place at public location that is acceptable to you; preferably in the London area but she may be prepared to travel if necessary.

If anyone is interested or would like more details, please email Jules@lifesigns.org.uk

Many thanks

The questionnaire is absolutely anonymous, and might take you a bit more than 5 minutes to complete, but no longer than 20 minutes; just tick the appropriate answers on the online form, and be sure to express yourself in your own words when it asks you to.

Be aware that the questionnaire does deal with self-injurious behaviour in a matter of fact manner, and if you’re willing to take part, you should ensure that you’re in a good frame of mind. You can exit the questionnaire at any time, and seek support within our Message Board should you wish.

Online SI Questionnaire

This is an opportunity to help trainees who may become professional counsellors practicing in the UK understand the emotional elements behind self-injury, and why your might rely on hurting yourself to help you cope.

Angela would like to hear from you, literally! She’s hoping that you might create a 5 or 10 minute recording that explains why you hurt yourself, and how you feel before and after – and why you might feel that self-injury ‘works’ for you. There’s no need to go into method details, and there’s no need for the recording to be triggering in any manner, it’s just a chance for you to express yourself verbally and be heard by trainee professionals.

You may be able to record your feelings on a Cassette recorder, or perhaps as an MP3 on your computer – either way, you can arrange such matters with Angela over email, and so I would like to invite you to email Wedge@lifesigns.org.uk with the following details:

• First Name:
• Age:
• 100 / 150 words that describe the emotional reasons behind your self-injury, and what sort of support you currently receive for your self-injury.

Please use the subject of ‘Recording’ in your email, thank you. Please don’t write more than 150 words.

Please email Wedge@lifesigns.org.uk as soon as possible, if you are have the ability to record your voice and the willingness to talk about yourself.

Many thanks