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From Self-Injury to Recovery: A Qualitative Exploration with Self-Injuring Youth in India

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Abstract

An understanding of the lived experiences of self-injuring youth can inform our efforts to support and facilitate recovery. This study aimed to explore the experiences of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and the journey of recovery among youth in India. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants aged 18 to 27 years with varied psychiatric diagnoses and a history of NSSI, seeking treatment at a tertiary care neuropsychiatric hospital in India. Thematic analysis of the interviews indicated four emergent themes: The Interpersonal Crucible of Self-injury, My Journey of Self-injury, My Journey of Recovery and Co-travellers on the Journey of Recovery. The first theme described varied early and current interpersonal adversities with family, peers and partners. The second theme included personal definitions, functions and experiences of self-injury. The last two themes describe idiosyncratic meanings and criteria for recovery, perspectives and challenging processes of recovery from self-injuring, and a range of enabling and hindering influences from family, friends and the therapeutic space. The findings point to the importance of a developmental perspective in the emergence of NSSI and the need to assess and support individualised recovery pathways.

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  1. Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, 560 029, India

    S. Meheli, Poornima Bhola & Nithya Poornima Murugappan

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Meheli, S., Bhola, P. & Murugappan, N.P. From Self-Injury to Recovery: A Qualitative Exploration with Self-Injuring Youth in India. J. Psychosoc. Rehabil. Ment. Health 8, 147–158 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40737-021-00214-y

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