News Can Psychological Therapies Help People Who Self-harm?

[anthony]

Self-harm is intentional self-poisoning or self-injury. Many people who are admitted to hospital because of this are at an increased risk of self- harming again and of suicide. It is a major problem in many countries, leads to high levels of distress for patients and their families and friends, and places significant demands on health services.

Psychosocial interventions could involve specific psychological therapies as well as maintaining support and contact with patients. Psychological therapies are usually a type of ‘talking treatment’. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a specific type of psychological therapy, focuses on how a patient’s beliefs and attitudes affect their feelings and behaviour, and aims to help them respond to and deal with their problems.

http://www.psypost.org/2016/05/can-psychological-therapies-help-people-self-harm-42796

 

[EveHarrington]

What other option is there?

The point of this article confuses me and I feel like it could have been written 20 years ago.

 

[anthony]

I think people are still confused today as to what can help, and what can't.

 

[shimmerz]

We have learned so much about trauma in the past 20+ years. I think a missing element in all of this when doing these studies is whether these people are traumatized (currently or in the past), whether they suffer from complex trauma, whether they poison themselves (I do), slash themselves (I don't), or how many have actively tried to commit suicide in the past.

To me this article is much like saying 'sick (physically) people could all be helped by prescription drugs'. Sick in what way? Is it a fever? Is it a rash? Is it cancer?

Behaviours happen for a wide range of reasons. Just like physical illnesses do. I don't like this 'herd them all together and treat them as if they are the same' approach. But that's just me.