The lived experiences of individuals who self-harm and use internet support: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Submission note: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology in Counselling Psychology to the Department of Counselling and Psychological Health, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

Recent research demonstrates an increasing prevalence of self-harm in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Self-harm manifests as a symptom across a broad range of clinical syndromes such as borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. Currently there are no evidence based treatments available for self-harm, possibly because treatment tends to target the broader clinical syndrome rather than specific symptom of self-harm. This appears to have led individuals to look to the internet for information and support. YouTube, which is primarily an entertainment site, broadcasts over 2000 videos posted by individuals that have shared their experience and struggle with self-harm. Similarly, there is also an increase in the number of internet based self-harm message boards. The current research thesis reports on two studies informed by the broad research question ‘what is the experience of individuals who use internet based self- harm support?’ The first study aimed to understand the purpose and content of self- harm videos on YouTube. Specifically, videos of a single participant who expressed her struggle with self-harm, mental illness, and treatment experiences on YouTube were downloaded, transcribed, and analysed. The second study aimed to explore the experience of using internet based, recovery focused, self-harm message boards. Five participants from various message boards were recruited and interviewed about the experience of self-harm, their experience of therapy, what led them to use internet support, and what were the perceived benefits or unhelpful aspects of these websites. All interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Both studies yielded three similar super-ordinate themes that related to the origins of self-harm, positive and negative treatment experiences, and the experience of using internet support. The findings of these studies are discussed using relevant literature and attachment theory. The findings highlight the perceived importance of internet based support in helping vulnerable and socially isolated individuals connect with similar others. The strength and limitations of the study and future recommendations are discussed.