No_Harm

No Harm in Listening

In January 2001, Penumbra published a report on a piece of research carried out in Edinburgh with young people who self-harm called "No Harm in Listening". The main findings of the research concluded that:-

there is a great lack of understanding about self-harm and the issues that surround it amongst professionals and the general public.
greater awareness is needed in order to improve the work that is being undertaken with individuals who self-harm and to de-stigmatise the issue.
there is a distinct lack of services in Edinburgh and its surrounding areas for young people (aged 16-21 years) who self-harm.
there is a general lack of information about self-harm or that the information that is available is either inadequate or unsuitable.
young people are rarely consulted with regards to the development of service provision or about the appropriateness of their own 'treatment plans' and 'support plans', which are provided by various statutory and non-statutory agencies.
professionals will often use “labels” to explain self-harming behaviour and will rarely look at the causes of self-harm. The symptoms are treated but the causes are ignored.
some existing services were viewed as judgemental and stigmatising of young people who self-harmed.
there is a need to develop further support services for people who self-harm in Edinburgh.
young people should be involved in the planning of appropriate services.
young people need privacy when their wounds are being treated at A&E, as being on public display can heighten their distress. Efforts should be made to provide a private room, or 'space' (i.e. cordoned off by a curtain) for a young person who has self-harmed. All medical procedures and treatments should be explained to the young person beforehand and any questions should be answered.
young people should be involved and consulted in relation to service reviews and developments.