title: Self-harm: cutting the bad out of me.
abstract: The practice of self-harm is increasing in the United Kingdom, accounting for the highest number of acute medical admissions for women. The medical and nursing response to repeaters, set within a climate of dwindling emergency and accident resources, has been one of impatience, frustration, and hostile care. The author undertook a correspondence study with 6 women who regularly self-harmed. The women claimed that medical and nursing professionals viewed their self-harm as irrational and illogical. However, a qualitative examination of the motivations and interests of all parties reveals that self-harm acts possess situated internal logic, whereas professionals tend to use rational logic in attempting to understand them.
authors.affiliation: Social Policy Research Unit, University of York, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011908:Rationalization; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D006113:United Kingdom