Attitudes to self-harm

Research has shown that general hospital staff sometimes express negative attitudes to self-harm. The following quote is from a member of hospital staff.

“You think they are troublesome, time consuming, and are in the ward unnecessarily, [a ward] which is for physically sick people who need care.” (from a paper by Saunders et al, 2012)

Service users often report that negative attitudes of staff can lead to them disengaging with services and increase the risk of further self-harm. The following quote is from a service user.

“The last time I had a blood transfusion the consultant said that I was wasting blood meant for other patients after they’d had operations or accidents. He asked whether I was proud of what I had done.” (from a paper by Taylor et al, 2009)

Service users also report positive experiences of hospital management when staff show consideration of patients’ psychological situation, as this quote from a service user shows.

“He… took great pains to suture very neatly. When I commented on this, he said: ‘I don’t want to leave any scars’, to which I replied that I am covered in them. He said: ‘Not on my watch.'” (from a paper by Taylor et al, 2009).