I Thought Nurses are supposed to help.

[Neil]

NURSES want patients who are intent on harming themselves to be provided with clean blades so that they can cut themselves more safely.

Have a read of this madness. Why are they not helping them to not want to harm themselves in the first place.

[ShortStuff]

I kinda see their point - but I don't think there really can be a "safe self harmer"! More money & resources need to be used to sort out the underlying problems.

[godfrey]

It's extremely difficult to stop people self-harming. They need a lot of help by skilled therapists. They have undergone a lot of abuse in the past and find self-harm the only way to release the build-up in tension and feelings from that abuse and lack of self-worth.

After serious incidents of cutting they either cope with the damage in private or attend accident and emergency where they often get little sympathy and often expressions of disgust.

There again I do not see automatic provision of the means to harm as necessarily helpful. How they harm is quite varied and inventive and they need, at some stage, to develop a protective awareness of possible fatal consequences. I suppose if they request blades then they are aware.

[grego]

I cant begin to understand the need for people to self harm and I can see the point of the nurses though I think more resources should be spent on helping them to stop.

[lettie]

I have seen loads of people in my career who are victims of self harm (both young and old). Psychiatric services offer some support, but nowhere near enough. For nurses in A&E and general practice who have to patch up these people's physical injuries it is not an easy job and attempts to get them psychiatric help often fail.

I would not have thought of asking them to use clean blades but I suppose it makes sense these days. Used razor blades can harbour such delights as Hep B, HIV (if they have wet blood on them). Glass can leave fragments in soft tissues causing further damage, if glass has been on the floor outside there is a tetanus risk. With any cut there is an infection risk, a lot of healthcare these days centres around minimising risks. For example needle exchange schemes...... If someone is going to inject drugs nobody can stop them, but we have to give people the means to minimise the risk to their health. So it would stand to reason that if someone is going to self harm try to make it safer.

It is not an ideal option but it is not an ideal world. People who self harm are rarely suicidal, so if they're going to self harm and live, then minimise the risk of the complications of infection, especially when we have so many life threatening infections about.

[jimmi5bellies]

Had a neighbour on Victoria Street that was into self-harming. Didnt really know her much and as selfish as it sounds i tried to avoid her like the plague.
I decided enough was enough and was glad when the local council got me another house after she knocked on my door and slit her wrists infront of Alec who was 10 years old at the time.
What she did really got Alec down and i wasnt amuzed. I called the local S.S but they was at a loss at what to do. Even Queens park didnt want to know.
I dont know what happened to her after we moved, but i do know the police and paramedics was on first name terms with her.

Sad really.

[ANNE]

Letties right it makes a lot of sense to issue self harmers with clean blades. Once these people feel the need to self harm they are going to do it no matter what.
Usually a few nicks with a blade is all they need to release the tension and anger they feel.
If they cant get hold of a blade they will use anything they can get their hands on and cause a lot of damage in the process.
Both to them selves and anyone trying to stop them.

[Doug]

It’s really a question of resource management. By asking people to use Sterile Blades your managing the cost of treating secondary infections.

People self harm for many and varied reasons, what’s important for people to realise is that it’s a matter of “there by the Grace of God go I” or in other words it could be you! Every person who self harms started out just like you and me, then something happened that led to a change in their circumstances resulting in the manifestation of self harming.

What folks should bear in mind is that there are many other forms of self harming in the Physical i.e. people don’t just cut. they might Stab themselves with pencils, pens, forks or other implements not necessarily sharp ones, They might rip pieces of flesh from themselves, nipping, self slapping or punching, self inflicted accidents like falls or deliberately crashing vehicles.

Not everyone is an exhibitionist either, many people self harm and you would never know even if you knew them half your life. As for what type of people self harm? I know at least four Nurses and one Doctor as well as a number of carers, including those looking after demanding relatives, and other professional people including serving Solders.

You should also consider those that might drink, smoke or take drugs. Have you ever been upset and punched to door or a wall? Ask yourself what you felt at the time. Relief, Comfort are any other form of release? As well as pain.

One last note, I can’t remember the track, but in one of James Blunts songs is the line “Find comfort in Pain” some people do.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I suppose feeling pain is a positive thing.....it means you have something else to think about and cope with, and it also means that you are still alive.