How do patients who have self-harmed, experience contact with mental health services in a general hospital?: An exploratory study using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Abstract

The UK national policy on self-harm states that people who have self-harmed should be offered assessment by mental health services during an admission to a general hospital. However there is no empirical evidence underpinning this policy statement and there is a dearth of information regarding the experience of people who self-harm and are assessed in a general hospital. The aim of this research was to explore the lived experience of contact with mental health services for ten people admitted to a general hospital following self-harm. A phenomenological approach utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was adopted to explore this experience. Findings revealed the experience to encompass four superordinate themes which contained lower ordinate themes: (i) internal barriers to getting the help needed; (ii) the business of being human; (iii) traumatising environment; (iv) patient power. The study concluded that the interaction between mental health services and the person who has self-harmed has the potential to be life affirming and transformational but only if it is skilfully conducted and the relationship between practitioner and patient is a positive one. Further implications for both services and individual practitioners are considered alongside recommendations for future practice.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Joanne Brown: orcid.org/0000-0002-3383-8809

ORCID for Ruth Bartlett: orcid.org/0000-0002-3412-2300

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