Issue Of Self Harm In Society Social Work Essay

Issue Of Self Harm In Society Social Work Essay This essay will discuss the complex issue that is self harm in society today; although word count will restrict many of the areas this essay will try and achieve an overall balance. The essay will look at the psychological causes and treatments available to service users via the National Health Service. It will be necessary throughout the essay to compare the issues surrounding self harm with that of parasuicide and suicide itself. Consideration will also be given to the views and perspectives of the service user with regard to the service they receive and where appropriate this essay will refer to practice experience to provide depth and insight into aspects of the discussion. Reference will also be made to the links with self harm in the animal kingdom. This brief discussion with animal self harm will be an attempt to show dual causation in humans and animals. Highly concise introduction, well done. In order to better understand self harm this issue must be clearly defined as to avoid inaccurate and misleading terminology as self-harm covers a wide range of behaviours some of which are directly related to suicide and some are not. Self harm (SH) or deliberate self harm (DSH) including self injury (SI) and self poisoning (SP) is defined as the intentional direct injury of body tissue without suicidal intent (Laye-Gindhu, A 2005., Klonsky, E.D 2007., Muehlenkamp, J.J 2005). Self harm is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-1V-TR) (1994) as a symptom of borderline personality disorder. However, patients with other diagnosis may also self harm including those with depression, and anxiety disorders, substance abuse, eating disorders post-traumatic stress disorders, schizophrenia and several personality disorders. Self harm is also apparent in high-functioning individuals who have no underlying clinical diagnosis. (Klonsky, E.D 2007). Guidelines for the treatment of self harm are not specified from NICE. What is self harm, self harm is deliberate damage of the body that is intentionally not life threatening, often repetitive in nature and usually considered socially unacceptable, 80% of self harm involves stabbing or cutting the skin with a sharp object (Greydanus, Shek, 2009). It is generally agreed that someone does not intend to die as a result of his or her self harm. However, many acts of self harm are not directly connected to suicidal intent they may be an attempt to communicate with others to influence or to secure help or care from others or a way of obtaining relief from it difficult and otherwise overwhelming situation or emotional state (Hjelmeland et al., 2002). Walsh and Rosen (1998) in discussing the difference between self mutilation and parasuicide have noted; In the case of ingesting pills or poison, the harm caused is uncertain, unpredictable, and basically invisible. In the case of self lacerations, the degree of self harm is clear, unambiguous, predictable as to course, and highly visible (Walsh, B.W., Rosen, P.M 1988). However someone who self harms is 50-100 times more likely to attempt suicide than someone who does not (Martinson, D. 1998).There are many reasons why people self harm, in a survey conducted of young people aged 16 through to 25 the most common reason was to find relief from a terrible situation (Samaritans 2001).Self harm is often associated with a history of trauma and abuse including emotional abuse, sexual abuse, drug dependence eating disorders or mental traits such as low self-esteem or perfectionism. (Swales, M. 2008) Emotionally invalidating environments where parents punish children for expressing sadness or hurt can contribute to a difficulty experiencing emotions and increased rates of self harm (Martinson, D. 2002). Abuse during childhood is accepted as the primary social factor as is bereavement, and troubled parental or partner relationships. Factors such as war, poverty, and unemployment may also contribute. In addition some individuals with pervasive developmental disabilities such as autism engage in self harm, although whether this is a form of self stimulation or for the purpose of harming oneself is a matter of debate (Edelson, 2004) It is noted that Service users who self harm give broadly three reasons for their behaviour these are, controlling mood, regulating moods in terms of how a person is able to cope with emotions and feelings especially feelings which are particularly unsettling unpleasant or intense. Communication, some people use self harm as a way of expressing themselves if those expressions are directed at others this can be seen by some as attention seeking and manipulation. Understand in what an act of self harm is trying to communicate can be crucial to dealing with it in an effective and constructive way. Control/punishment, people who self harm have often experienced traumatic experiences in their lives including emotional physical or sexual abuse. (Martinson, D. 1998). Self harm can be a form of trauma re-enactment or way of bargaining or engaging in magical thinking if I hurt myself I will prevent the thing I fear protect the person I care about. A common belief regarding self harm is that i t is an attention seeking behaviour however in most cases this is inaccurate. Many self- harmers are very self-conscious of their wounds and scars and feel guilty about their behaviour leading them to go to great lengths to conceal their behaviours from others (Mental Health Foundation 2006). People diagnosed as having certain types of medical disorder are much more likely to self harm in one survey of a sample of the British population people with current symptoms of mental disorder up to 20 times more likely to report having harm themselves in the past (Meltzer et al., 2002).People diagnosed as having schizophrenia are most at risk and about one-half of this group will have harmed themselves at some time. When assessed the majority of individuals engaging in self harm will be diagnosed with depression although two thirds will no longer fit the criteria after a year. This explains why nearly half of those who present to an emergency department meet criteria for having a personality disorder (Haw et al., 2001). However, there are problems with doing this because some people who self harm consider the term personality disorder to be offensive and to create a stereotype that can lead to damaging stigmatization by social care workers (Babiker Arnold, 1997., Pembroke, 1994). About one in six people who attend an emergency departments following self harm will harm themselves again in the following year (Owen et al., 2002). For the last 25 years it has been NHS policy that everybody who attends hospital after an episode of self harm should receive a psychological assessment (Department of Health and Social Security, 1984).While psychological assessment includes several components, the most important are the assessment of needs in the assessment of risks. The assessment of needs is to each item to identify those personal (psychological) and environmental (social) factors that might explain an act of self harm; this assessment should lead to a formulation, based upon which a management plan can be developed. Despite the importance of comprehensive assessment following an act of self harm many service users fall through the net. In many hospitals, more than half of the attendees are discharge from the emergency department without specialist assessment (Termansen Bywater, 1975; Thomas et al., 1996; Kapur et al., 1998). Patients who leave hospital direct from an emergency department and especially those who leave without a psychological assessment are less likely to have been offered to follow- up (Owens et al., 1991; Suokas Lonnquist, 1991; Gunnell et al., 1996; Kapur et al., 1998). In addition, those who do receive the psychological assessment (rather than the needs or risk assessment specifically) may be less likely to repeat an act of self- harm (Hickey et al., 2001; Kapur et al., 2002). These figures suggest that the service user is being set up to fail or more directly not being correctly diagnosed and treated properly. Service users experiences and attitudes to the services they receive can vary but most feel like the following quotation Got no help at all. All they wanted to do is pick on me like I was a naughty little girl, and it made me very angry, and I couldnt open all for how they treated me. I just dreaded going to see them (Harris, 200). Not only do these kinds of attitudes make users experiences of services unpleasant, but they can also increase service users echoes of distress. Not only are service users critical of emergency department staff, but patients admitted to hospital following self poisoning also feel isolated, ignored and inhibited by staff (Dunleavey 1992) a fast tracking of service users through the system should be considered to minimize harm resulting from their injury and to minimize distress. Service users also point out the importance of being listened to by staff even when the interaction is brief or only a single occasion (Arnold 1995). A safe environment and being li stened to it especially important since service users may reveal information about their injuries that makes them feel vulnerable, fearing negative repercussions. As a result of poor stuff attitudes towards people who self harm, service users feel that they are frequently treated differently compared with service users who have not self harmed. I was told off by nurses and the doctors; I just felt small. They do treat self harmers different to accident people. We are classed as suicides. The hospital staff just look at you as though youre wasting time. Thats how I felt. (Harris. 2000). Some self harmers, however, use the practice of self harm in a ritualistic way. This type of self harm has been practiced by different cultures for centuries, for example the Maya priesthood performed auto- sacrifice by cutting and piercing their bodies in order to draw blood (Gualberto, A. 1991). It is also practiced by the sadhu Hindu ascetic, in Catholic mortification of the flesh, in ancient Canaanite mourning rituals as described in the Ras Shamra tablets and in the Shiite annual ritual of self-flagellation, using chains and swords, that takes place during Ashura where there Shiites sect mourne the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (Reference). Another little known fact is that the animal world is prone to self harming and there is some correlation between animals and human beings on this issue. Self -mutilation in non-human mammals is well-established, although not a widely known phenomenon and its study under zoo or a laboratory conditions could lead to a better understanding of self harm in human patients (Jones, I.H., Barraclough, B.M. 2007). Zoo or laboratory rearing and isolation are important factors leading to increased susceptibility to self harm in higher mammals. Lower mammals are also known to mutilate themselves under laboratory conditions after administration of drugs (Jones, I.H., Barraclough, B.M 2007). In dogs, canine obsessive compulsory disorder can lead to self inflicted injuries, for example canine lick. Captive birds are sometimes known to engage in feather plucking causing damage to feathers or even the mutilation of skin or muscle tissue (20..?..) A good example of feather plucking in birds would be battery hens that are kept in cages with no access to movement or sunlight. Useful analogies! Many people who engage in self harm do so not that they intend to take their life or that they are seeking attention. People who self harm do so because they are looking for some form of relief from their situation. As a coping mechanism, self harm works for the person doing it. (Reference needed on coping mechanisms) Many self harmers who seek help in the form of medical attention face an uphill struggle in the face of adversity, negativity and disbelief from the service that is in situ to help them. Negative attitudes from medical staff and social care workers affect the self harmer and they feel increasingly isolated. Within the medical profession comes a coldness not afforded to accident and ill people, along with a lack of understanding and a lack of training. Communication with the service user as well as empowerment would enable service users to have a greater say in their treatment and rehabilitation and this would go a long way in addressing this problem. Service users know why they self harm but feel they are not being listened to. Until this issue is addressed the problem will go largely unchanged. (Need references for stigma and self harm treatment in A E)

Florence Nightingale Essay

Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory is a holistic approach to health care. The basis of this theory is the inter-relationship of a healthful environment with nursing. Nightingale noticed that external influences and conditions can suppress, or contribute to disease or death. The goal of the nurse should be to help patients retain their own vitality by meeting their basic needs through control of the environment. (Selanders & Crane, 2012) There are three types of environment in Nightingale’s theory. The first is the physical environment. It consist of the physical elements where the patient is being treated such as the bed, the linens, the floors and walls, and plumbing. Nightingale manipulated the physical environment by using cleanliness, heat and proper plumbing. She insisted upon patients having access to fresh air and natural sunlight. The second is the psychological environment, which can be affected by the negative physical environment. A dirty and un-kept environment is a psychological damaging environment. One way that Nightingale manipulated this type was with the use of fresh flowers. The psychological environment requires various activities to keep the mind active and distracted from the pain and suffering of illness. It also involves therapeutic communication with the patient and family. The social environment consist of the patients hospital room and home, as well as the community that affects the patient’s specific environment. For example, a patient’s social support may consist of friends, family, church members or neighbors. (â€Å"Nursing Theory,† 2012) There are five major components of a healthful environment. They are, proper ventilation, adequate light, sufficient warmth, control of noise and control of odors. These were all important in the Nightingale theory. Fresh ventilated air can decrease the amount of germs. We know that light is important to our patients and the absence of natural light can lead to delirium. Warmth is important as it helps the body remain free from the stress caused by cold. Decreasing the noise around our patients helps them relax and get the rest that their bodies require to heal. Controlling odors can also help our patients relax but is also important to the patient’s psychological well- being. (â€Å"Nursing Theory,† 2012) The nursing paradigm of Nightingale’s theory assumes that nursing is different from medicine and that the goal of nursing  is to place the patient in the best possible condition for nature to act upon them. Nursing encompasses the all the activities that promote health and can be performed by anyone. Nursing provides fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet and a proper diet. Nursing facilitates a patient’s reparative process by ensuring the best possible environment and influences the environment to promote health. (â€Å"Nursing Theory,† 2012) Today we practice many of the aspects of Nightingales theory. Some units have quiet time to allow patients to rest. We have a butterfly garden that patients can visit that not only serves as a resource for fresh air, but also provides sunlight and a wonderful distraction from their illness. References Creasia, J. L., & Friberg, E. (2011). Conceptual Foundations, the bridge to professional nursing practice (5th ed.). St. Louise, MO: Mosby. Environmental Theory. (2012). Retrieved from www.nursingtheory.org Selanders, L. C., & Crane, P. C. (2012, January). The Voice of Florence Nightingale on Advocacy. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 17. Retrieved from www.nursingworld.com

Case Study Abnormal Psychology Essay

Abnormal behavior relates to the influence of psychological factors, biological factors as well as the social factors referring to inadequate relationships. In the face of diverse definition, abnormal behavior refers to the deviating from norm, which norm is the typical behavior or characteristic of the population. As such, Jim behavior is abnormal because it violates moral and conventional mores of the society (Violates societal standards), as such causing social discomfort to others. For instance, Jim fails to recognize the social cues in conversation thereby annoying other interlocutors. Jim is this case is behaving in a manner counterproductive to his own well being by abstaining from marrying and social relationships, which is maladaptive (Psychology facts, 2007). Jim behavior is statistically abnormal because he is notably poles apart from the society norm, his behavior has low score in the society distributed acceptable qualities DSM-IV refers to the â€Å"Diagnostic and statistical Manual of mental disorders. It defines mental disorder as a clinical considerable psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in individuals and link with the current distress like painful symptom or disability, such as impairment of substantial sphere of functioning or with a significant risk of enhanced of possibility of suffering loss of liberty, death, pain, and disability. The syndrome is not a merely a culturally and expectable sanctioned rejoinder to a specific event. It needs to be presently presuming a manifestation of biological, behavioral, or psychological dysfunction within an individual. Nevertheless, there is no adequate definition on the precise boundaries for the notion of mental disorder (French, 2004). The definition encompasses the concept of the maladptiveness because the mental suffering of the individuals embrace maladaptive behavior by withdrawing from the family and friends interactions as well as well as eating that results in death as outlined in the DSM-IV mental disorder definition. Another abnormal element captured in the definition is suffering, by mental disorders individuals are at risk of suffering loss of liberty, and pain clearly borrows from the elements of abnormal behavior. According to the DSM-IV definition and description of the mental disorder, Jim is suffering from the mental disorder, within the category of â€Å"Axis II, which is personality and mental retardation. † This DSM-IV axis describes the enduring problems that unnoticed in the axis I disorders. The personality disorders occasion’s significant troubles in the way individual relates to world encompassing â€Å"historic personality disorder and anti-social personality disorder. † (Salters-Pedneault, 2008). In particular, DSM-IV defines personality disorder as the long-term prototype of behavior and inner experience with the following criteria: deviates from the individual’s cultural expectations (abnormal behavior), in this case Jim misses the requisite social cues in conversation. He leads a solitary life at age of the 48-year when he supposed to have family within the cultural mores. Additionally, Jim shuns requisite interpersonal relationships a fact, which run counter to the cultural expectations on human beings as social beings. Further, DSM insist that the personality disorder has to be inflexible and pervasive that on aspects of individual life and is not modifiable according to the situation. In addition, this disorder has its genesis in adolescence or early maturity and steady over time. The case study clearly indicates that Jim has maintained the behavior for like 15 years, and presence of his parents and brothers do not make him change his behavior gives weight to the criteria of the personality disorder as outlined in the DSM-IV manual compilation. The DSM-IV contains an axis system, which each of the axis represent a different category of the mental illness or a manner in which a particular mental illness may influence (Purse, 2009). In exemplar, key mental illness like, bipolar disorder ranks within Axis 1. The episode of the Jim portrayed in the case falls in the dimension of Axis II. The present edition of DSM-IV published in 1994, offers virtually 400 disorders (Crowe, 2000). The advantage of this is that it enhances diagnostic impartiality by adding decision trees demarcating significant characteristics of disorders, which makes clinicians by collections of questions concerning the presence or the absence of the symptoms. The present DSM-IV manual comprises of extensive anthology of information organized into portions for easier reference (Purse, 2009). The first section encompasses instructions on the way to use the tools contained in the DSM-IV, while following section contains comprehensive classification systems catalog of the official codes for each single diagnosis. The fourth section comprises of the manual detailing the diagnostic criteria accompanied by a description for each disorder. Despite the advantages highlighted above, there are some disadvantages in the manual compilation. First, the DSM-IV compilation lacks the exactitude in diagnostic criterion to evidently, differentiate one diagnosis from the other as well as the distinguishing mental disorder, from the situation, such as mental distress. DSM is not visibly clear on how experiences and behaviors cited within the diagnostic criterion justifiably can consider as substantiation of mental disorder as distinctive from rejoinders to life events (Crowe, 2000).

Foreign Policies of France, Pr essays

Foreign Policies of France, Pr essays Major turmoil involving France, Prussia, and the Hapsburg Empire arose during the 1740s. Each empire had an integral part in the rise or decline of the other involved nations. Prussia on one hand was seeking to expand into the Hapsburg territories. France seeing an expansion opportunity as well made an alliance with Prussia. The Hapsburg Empire could only hope to maintain the current boundaries of their kingdom and territories. They also thought it was necessary to create alliances to counterpart the ones made by Prussia. When Prussia seized the Austrian Province of Silesia, the Pragmatic Sanction was broken and upset the continental balance of power. These events and others culminated into the War of the Austrian Succession. The confrontation began though, as a result of each involved nations foreign policy and their effort to achieve goals to further their economic, political, and geographical position. France, Prussia, and the Hapsburgs exhibited this quality as the War of Austrian Succession developed. The foreign policy of France reflected the situation in Prussia and Austria. France did not want to witness a rising power to the east. Therefore, the dilemma was often to determine which nation, Austria or Prussia, was stronger in there effort to unite part of the land east of France. France then hoped to deter their efforts at unity. Furthermore, the aims of the French foreign policy were to "erode further the Hapsburg positions, by moves in the south against Spain and in the east and north against the vulnerable string of Spanish- Hapsburg and German territories". (Kennedy 88) France was looking to expand financially and geographically, by gaining resourceful territories while still maintaining their colonies in America. It is because of their pursuits on two continents that they were trying to become the dominate hybrid power. France began to see the emergence of a multipolar system among European ...

The Life Of Hernando Cortes essays

The Life Of Hernando Cortes essays Hernando Cortes was born in 1485 in a town called Medellin in Extremadura Spain. During the time of Cortes youth, the town of his birth was like the setting of a carnival for a growing boy (Marks 3). Medellin was the home of an old castle from the days of the wars between the Spanish and the Moors; the young boys of the town found this castle most entertaining. Later in his life Cortes started attending the University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. His law school years were cut short in 1501 when he decided to try his luck in the New World. In the spring of 1504, Cortes set sail for the land of Cuba. After arriving in Cuba in 1511, he joined the Spanish soldiers and Administrator Diego Velasquez in the conquest of the land, and there he became mayor of Santiago de Cuba. In 1518 he persuaded Velasquez to give him command to the expedition of Mexico that had recently been discovered by Juan de Grijalva, nephew of Velasquez. Despite Velasquezs cancellation on his payment to Cortes due to suspicion that he was exploring and discovering for his own glory, Cortes set sail west from Cuba on February 19, 1519. Cortes took with him about 600 men, less than 20 horses, and 10 field pieces. Cortes sailed along the east coast of Yucatan and in March 1519 landed in Mexico and quickly neutralized the town of Tabasco. The artillery, the ships, and especially the horses had the natives captivated from the minute they landed. Quickly after Cortes had taken Tabasco, the natives began telling him the stories of the Aztecs and their ruler Montezuma. These intriguing stories struck Cortes attention, and he began asking more questions about these mysterious Aztecs. At the beginning of Cortes search for the Aztecs, he and his men took many of the locals captive, one of which they found special, so they baptized her and renamed her Marina. Marina quickly became Cortes lover and out of loyalty to him a...

Creative Ventures and Enterprise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Creative Ventures and Enterprise - Essay Example This report is about my aims and aspiration as a product designer to understand all the areas of this industry including creativity, business and administration. My basic areas of interests are in product designing along with branding and merchandising. This will make me a part of the creative industry. The focus of this paper will be on product designing with particular reference consumer cultures in Taiwan, Russia, US and the UK. All other areas related to the creative industry will also be covered. It is my intention to work in Taiwan in a government department and initial steps in the form of a scholarship has already been applied for. Scope: The main scope of this paper is to study all aspects of the creative industry with specific focus on product design in Taiwan. After completion of this work it is hoped that I will get sufficient information to get me started on my intended career as a product designer. Creative Industry: Creative industry can be defined as "those industries that are based on individual creativity, skill and talent. They are also those that have the potential to create wealth and jobs through developing intellectual property." (Creative Industries: The Definition of the Creative Industries. 2007). From this it is clear that creativity, skill and talent that can create wealth and jobs is what differentiates it from other areas of business. Since creativity is involved, the question of intellectual property rights is also raised here. Creativity is a very broad term and hence what constitute a creative industry also varies. For example, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport of the UK Government groups creative industries under predetermined areas of business. In other words, advertising, designing, film making, performing arts, publishing, software etc are considered to be a part of creative industries. The UK was the first country in the world to recognise the e xistence of such industries and classify them as such. "The UK was the first, in 1997, to systematically promote the creative industries. Australia and New Zealand followed shortly afterwards." (Creative Industries in Hong Kong: Introduction. 2002). Growth of Creative Industries: This industry is one of the fastest growing in the world. All areas that are considered to be creative had existed long before the concept of creative industries came into existence. But the potential of each of these sectors taken separately gave rise to classify them as creative and efforts for growth as a collective entity has now begun. The United Nations is also looking at this industry seriously as a means of economic development of under developed and developing countries. Being such a vast area, exact current figures are difficult to estimate. But according to UNCTAD, total value of creative industries world wide stood at 225 billion USD in 2005 fro 234 billion USD in 1996. This is an average growth of 8.7% making it one of the fastest growing industries in the world today. "Creative industries have emerged as one of the world's most dynamic economic sectors, offering vast opportunities for cultural, social and economic development. Internationa l trade in creative goods and services surged to US$445.2 billion in 2005 from US$234.8 billion in 1996, according to preliminary UNCTAD figures." (Creative Industries Emerge as Key Driver of Economic Growth with Trade Nearly

Diabetes Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Diabetes - Assignment Example Metabolism is the functionality of the body cells to convert the food and its constituents to attain energy. It helps the cells to grow and divide. The food that our body digests is converted to most simple type of sugar that is glucose. Glucose is entered into our blood stream by our digestive system. Blood transports the glucose to the cells. Insulin is the hormone that helps the glucose to enter the cells. Without insulin our cells are unable to absorb the glucose. Pancreas produces insulin and maintains the level of insulin in the blood. The hormonal system distinguishes how much insulin should be produced to absorb the glucose. It also stabilizes the amount of glucose that is present in the body by producing different amount of insulin according to the diet we intake. Diabetes is a condition in which either body is unable to produce set level of insulin or produce no insulin or the cells of the body do not respond to wards the insulin. The condition may also occur if the pancreas fails due to imbalance hormonal system or any other condition. Without the insulin, the body is unable to convert the glucose into energy. The blood has increased level of glucose. Some glucose is expelled out of the body through urine. The cells are unable to gain the glucose. Besides polyphagia (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thrust) and polyuria (increased hunger) are the common symptoms of the diabetes, diabetes may cause immense damage to other systems of the body. Following complication may occur as the result of untreated diabetes. Eye complications (eyesight got affected due to diabetes),  Foot complications (foot muscles are unable to heal and foot wounds are unable to heal and take more time to heal),  Skin complications (skin lacks the sensitivity),  Heart problems,  Hypertension (lack of energy and glucose to the cells may bring the condition of hypertension), Mental health (The