Mindfulness as a Psychological Approach to Managing Self-Harming Behaviours: Application and Review within Clinical Settings

Hannah Thew,Dominic Willmott,Danielle McDermott

doi:10.5920/css.551

Abstract

Given the prevalence of suicide and self-harm throughout global societies, the need to more readily manage associated behaviours is of central importance. Particularly as in many countries and cultures harmful acts towards oneself remain a prosecutable crime if the person in crisis survives. Yet despite once constituting a novel approach, mindfulness techniques within clinical settings have rapidly grown in popularity and become an integral component of behavioural regulation and management. Recognising the potential benefits of mindful techniques including increased self-awareness and enhanced coping strategies, application of the technique has now been widely used as a tool to help individuals desist from engaging in deliberate self-harm and experiencing suicidal ideations. Addressing the need for a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of mindfulness applications within clinical settings as an approach to managing self-harming behaviours, the present exploration concludes mindfulness techniques are an appropriate intervention but on-going evaluation is required to provide greater clarity in explaining the specific link to effective emotional management.

Highlights

Deliberate self-harm is a behaviour commonly characterised by intentional, direct and immediate destruction to an individual’s body engaged in without an immediately apparent intention to die (Brausch & Muehlenkamp, 2013; Klonsky, Oltmanns, & Turkheimer, 2014; National Health Service [NHS], 2015)
It is a problem that needs appropriate and effective treatment options in order to provide help for the individual’s suffering with repeated engagement in deliberate selfharming behaviours, as it has been identified as a risk factor that may lead to the development of suicidal ideations (Baetson et al, 2010; Cooper et al, 2005; Klonsky et al, 2007; McMahon et al, 2014)
Klonsky and Muehlenkamp (2007) report that 50% of people who deliberately engage in self-harm report attempting suicide at least once, suggesting that engaging in deliberate self-harm vastly increases the risk of suicide, which is evidence that self-harm constitutes a serious health issue that requires intervention

Summary

Introduction

Deliberate self-harm is a behaviour commonly characterised by intentional, direct and immediate destruction to an individual’s body engaged in without an immediately apparent intention to die (Brausch & Muehlenkamp, 2013; Klonsky, Oltmanns, & Turkheimer, 2014; National Health Service [NHS], 2015). Wupperman et al (2013) suggest that practising mindfulness can act as a protective factor against harmful dysregulated behaviours such as deliberate self-harm In support of this notion, it is proposed that mindfulness facilitates emotional processing and distress tolerance by raising attention to, and awareness and acceptance of ongoing experiences (Teasdale et al, 2002). Kok, Kirsten, and Botha (2011) and Klonsky and Muehlenkamp (2007), found direct evidence that mindfulness interventions delivered to adolescents in a psychiatric setting successfully led to a reduction in self-harming behaviour Based upon such findings Kok et al (2011) suggested that the clinical use of mindfulness should emphasize developing the ability to accept thoughts and emotions and this form of intervention may benefit adolescents who engage in deliberate self-harm since they need skills to tolerate distress and regulate emotions. This in itself could support the idea that mindfulness skills may play an important role in both dealing with intrusive thoughts and protecting against self-harm

Limitations and Future

Findings

Conclusion