Title A history of self-harm in Britain : a genealogy of cutting and overdosing / Chris Millard, Wellcome Trust Medical Humanities Research Fellow, Queen Mary, University of London, UK

Published Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire ; New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2015

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Description 1 online resource (1 electronic resource (ix, 268 pages)) Series Mental health in historical perspective Mental health in historical perspective. Contents Introduction: self-harm from social setting to neurobiology -- 1. Early twentieth-century self-harm: cut throats, general and mental medicine -- 2. Communicative self-damage: war, NHS and social work -- 3. Self-harm becomes epidemic: Mental Health (1959) and Suicide (1961) Acts -- 4. Self-harm as a result of domestic distress -- 5. Self-harm as self-cutting: inpatients and internal tension -- Conclusion: the politics of self-harm: social setting and self-regulation Summary "This book is open access under a CC BY license and is the first account of self-harming behaviour in its proper historical and political context. The rise of self-cutting and overdosing in the 20th century is linked to the sweeping changes in mental and physical health, and wider political context. The welfare state, social work, Second World War, closure of the asylums, even the legalization of suicide, are all implicated in the prominence of self harm in Britain. The rise of 'overdosing as a cry for help' is linked to the integration of mental and physical healthcare, the NHS, and the change in the law on suicide and attempted suicide. The shift from overdosing to self-cutting as the most prominent 'self-damaging' behaviour is also explained, linked to changes in hospital organization and the wider rise of neoliberal politics. Appreciation of history and politics is vital to understanding the psychological concerns over these self-harming behaviours"-- Provided by publisher Analysis self-harming behaviour historical context political context self harm Britain overdosing self-cutting Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 244-261) and index Notes English Description based on print version record; resource not viewed Subject Self-mutilation -- Great Britain -- History -- 20th century Self-injurious behavior. Self Mutilation Psychiatry and Psychology Social & cultural history -- United Kingdom, Great Britain. Illness & addiction: social aspects -- United Kingdom, Great Britain. Care of the mentally ill -- United Kingdom, Great Britain. British & Irish history -- United Kingdom, Great Britain. HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain. HISTORY / Modern / 20th Century. HISTORY / Social History. MEDICAL / Mental Health. MEDICAL / Psychiatry / General. Self-injurious behavior Self-mutilation Social & cultural history -- United Kingdom, Great Britain. Illness & addiction: social aspects -- United Kingdom, Great Britain. Care of the mentally ill -- United Kingdom, Great Britain. European history -- United Kingdom, Great Britain. History. Great Britain Genre/Form History Form Electronic book LC no. 2018655086 ISBN 9781137529626 1137529628 9781137529633 1137529636

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