Self‐harm by people with learning difficulties: something to be expected or investigated?1

This paper has been produced as part of the Literature Review Phase of a project entitled ‘Study of Abuse of People with Learning Disabilities: An Examination of Policy, Practice and Educational Implications in Wales’ managed by the School of Care Sciences, University of Glamorgan and funded by the Wales Office of Research and Development, National Assembly for Wales. The paper draws on earlier unpublished work by Brennen‐Jones (1992).

Abstract

A review of the literature exploring self‐harm highlights variations in the way it is understood. A marked difference in approach appears to relate to the presence of a learning difficulty in the person utilizing self‐harm. Linkage with abuse has been given credence as one possible explanation for self‐harming behaviour in the general population and yet has received little consideration within literature regarding people with learning difficulties. This paper proposes that it is oppression and abuse which provide the context in which self‐harm is used by many people with learning difficulties. Continually ignoring the ‘message’ in self‐harm is to further traumatize individuals. Therefore a challenge is posed to look beyond existing responses to the use of self‐harm by people with learning difficulties.

Notes

Corresponding author. Unit for Development in Intellectual Disability (UDID), School of Care Sciences, University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd, South Wales CF37 1DL. Email: rsdavies@ glam.ac.uk

This paper has been produced as part of the Literature Review Phase of a project entitled ‘Study of Abuse of People with Learning Disabilities: An Examination of Policy, Practice and Educational Implications in Wales’ managed by the School of Care Sciences, University of Glamorgan and funded by the Wales Office of Research and Development, National Assembly for Wales. The paper draws on earlier unpublished work by Brennen‐Jones (1992).