• news
  • SUNDAY FEBRUARY 5 2006 1:00 PM

Blade Exchange for Self Harmers?

Submitted by mat8drb

Edited by crispy

Self-harm is not a joke and is still poorly understood even after years of campaigns. Now British nurses want see clean blades provided to patients to reduce the risk of infection in the same way that drug users get clean needles.

This could include giving the “self-harm” patients sterile blades and clean packets of bandages or ensuring that they keep their own blades clean. Nurses would also give patients advice about which parts of the body it is safer to cut.

The proposal for “safe” self-harm — which is to be debated at the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress in April — is likely to provoke controversy. At present nurses are expected to stop anyone doing physical harm to themselves and to confiscate any sharp objects ranging from razor blades to broken glass and tin cans.

However, Ian Hulatt, mental health adviser for the RCN, said: “There is a clear comparison with giving clean needles to reduce HIV. We will be debating introducing a similar harm-reduction approach. This may well include the provision of clean dressing packs and it may mean providing clean ‘sharps’. Nurses who encounter individuals who self-harm on a regular basis face a dilemma. Do they go for prohibition? Or do we allow this to occur in a way that minimises harm? Some nurses will not support this because our code of practice says we should not do patients any harm. But this may be less harmful than patients using dirty implements. There are mental health units that already allow the use of sterile implements.”



In the UK, 170,000 people (0.28% of the population) attend a hospital's emergency department after deliberately harming themselves. A number of these continue to harm themselves for a period of time. This idea is from the Royal College of Nursing's mental health nursing forum: an unidentified nurse said "We may not like someone self-harming, but they are going to do it whether we like it or not and we will need to deal with the problems afterwards". Not everyone is in favour:

Katherine Murphy, director of communications at the Patients Association, criticised the move. She said: “Supplying individuals who self-harm with blades cannot be good for them. Nurses should not be supporting patients to self-harm.

“By giving self-harmers the tools they need, the nurses could be seen as encouraging individuals to harm themselves. We should be doing something to discourage this behaviour.”



In the UK, support is available to those who self-harm by the National Self Harm Network (who sadly have to obtain some of their funding from the National Lottery) and the National Children's Bureau. A Self Injury Awareness Day is being held on the 1st March.

While the "blade exchange" program seems like a no-brainer, what is needed is enough medical staff with sufficient awareness that they can offer real support at the point of care.

  • PERMALINK
  • PRINT
  • Digg This
  • Email To A Friend
 

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Next

Comments
Telltale

Telltale

USA
May 2004

FEB 05, 2006 01:18 PM

It's always interesting to see these "which is worse" kind of debates. I think it's a much better to focus on dealing with the problem than just telling people to cut it out. (I mean, how well do abstaining campaigns work?)

doctashock

doctashock

Los Angeles, CA
September 2003

FEB 05, 2006 01:27 PM

Enudjhe said:
It's always interesting to see these "which is worse" kind of debates. I think it's a much better to focus on dealing with the problem than just telling people to cut it out. (I mean, how well do abstaining campaigns work?)



Please tell me the pun was unintentional

Kore

Kore

SUICIDEGIRL

I'm lost

FEB 05, 2006 01:27 PM

i think that'd be cool. just telling people to stop sure won't work. also, perhaps a pamphlet on safer cutting.

Someguysteve

Someguysteve

USA
September 2005

FEB 05, 2006 01:32 PM

Sounds intersting, they could package some bandages with the blade and maybe print some suggestions for areas to cut for lesser harm on the inside of bandages so it couldn't be missed.

doctashock

doctashock

Los Angeles, CA
September 2003

FEB 05, 2006 01:40 PM

So what happens to the first nurse who fails to distinguish between a habitual cutter and someone who is actually suicidal. I'm not too keen on UK legalities, but wouldn't that count as assisted suicide here in the states.

I see the logic behind the idea and don't think it's all bad, but I'm kind of split as to whether it's actually a good idea.

Sticks

Sticks

United Kingdom
June 2011

FEB 05, 2006 01:45 PM

If the option existed then I'd welcome it. It's not doing people harm if they're being given advice on how to do something safely.

Nixon

Nixon

SUICIDEGIRL

California, USA

FEB 05, 2006 01:50 PM

Huh? Who shares? And besides, don't cutters have jobs?

grahf

grahf

New York, NY
September 2002

FEB 05, 2006 02:31 PM

doctashock said:
So what happens to the first nurse who fails to distinguish between a habitual cutter and someone who is actually suicidal. I'm not too keen on UK legalities, but wouldn't that count as assisted suicide here in the states.


I don't think it would, just like the gun shop salesman who fails to distinguish between a hunter and a guy who's going to go home and blow his wife's head off won't be charged as an accomplice to murder.

MikeofEvil2

MikeofEvil2

United Kingdom
September 2003

FEB 05, 2006 03:02 PM

Huh? Who shares? And besides, don't cutters have jobs?



How about the kids living with their parents who nick their dad's razor?

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

FEB 05, 2006 03:07 PM

I'm really curious how many self-mutilators would go to a hospital to get sterile blades.

Hooraydiation

Hooraydiation

Boston, MA
October 2005

FEB 05, 2006 03:18 PM

Clov said:
I'm really curious how many self-mutilators would go to a hospital to get sterile blades.



Yeah. They'll probably help as many people (if not more) with a website detailing how to properly cut yourself than they will inviting cutters to come on over.

Thistle

Thistle

SUICIDEGIRL

California, USA

FEB 05, 2006 07:10 PM

1. Packets of razors cost under $3 and are available at any hardware store here. Is this not the case in the UK?

2. Why is it sad that government programs get money from the lottery?

evilgijoe

evilgijoe

Bend, OR
January 2006

FEB 05, 2006 07:23 PM

well as a former cutter, i know that they wont go to a hospital. its a personal way of dealing with the emotional pain, not a semisuicidal cry for attention.so i raise these points
1) most cutters are middle class or higher9 note i said most not all)
2)the worries of infection are the least concern to a cutter, long term issues dont matter at the time
3)causing attention to be drawn to their problem causes them to introvert even more , withdrawning from society and thereby any help

Platy

Platy

USA
August 2004

FEB 05, 2006 09:12 PM

...so instead of helping them quit, we're going to encourage the behavior? i mean, i know that not everyone who harms themself is going to want help, or necessarily want to stop, but it just seems we should be pushing more to help them cope in a safer way, instead of self-injury.
like, maybe attach a hotline number to the packets, or something? and i know that seems like a corny idea, but giving clean razors to someone with a cutting problem seems like giving a bottle of jack to an alcoholic.

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

FEB 05, 2006 09:17 PM

Platypus_C said:
...so instead of helping them quit, we're going to encourage the behavior? i mean, i know that not everyone who harms themself is going to want help, or necessarily want to stop, but it just seems we should be pushing more to help them cope in a safer way, instead of self-injury.
like, maybe attach a hotline number to the packets, or something? and i know that seems like a corny idea, but giving clean razors to someone with a cutting problem seems like giving a bottle of jack to an alcoholic.


No, it's more like calling a cab for a drunk at a bar.

Previous

PAGE: 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Next

featured interviews