Background:
Mental disorders are highly prevalent, but many people do not seek help for them. We aim to develop mental health first aid standards for a number of mental disorders and related crises. Deliberate, non-suicidal self-injury is becoming more common, particularly among young people. Little is known about how to prevent repetition or support someone who is deliberately harming him/herself.
Methods:
The methodology of this study is the 'Delphi method', a technique for determining consensus. Initially, we searched for claims and suggestions about how to help someone who engages in deliberate self-harm. Searching the medical literature, carer's manuals, memoirs, pamphlets and Web sites, very little was found. Round 1 of this study instead asked people to write in their own words what might be the right thing to do. Questions have been generated from these written answers. Respondents are clinicians or researchers, carers and consumers from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK and the United States.
Results:
The majority of the participants felt that ‘stopping someone’ from injuring him/herself is counterproductive. The two emphases are on dealing medically with any serious injuries and allowing the person space to talk about his/her distressing feelings.
Conclusions:
These standards will be used in Mental Health First Aid training and will be widely available to members of the public who are concerned about a family member or friend who is engaging in self-injury.
