The Psychology of Self-Injury: Exploring Self-Harm & Mental Health

Self-Injury Over Age 40, with Dr. Sarah Swannell

Episode Summary

Sarah Swannell, PhD, a psychologist in private practice in Australia and Lecturer at the University of Queensland discusses the prevalence and characteristics of self-injury and self-harm among individuals over age 40.

Episode Notes

What is the prevalence of self-injury among adults over age 40? And what differentiates those who report having stopped self-injuring from those who continue to self-injure? How do they differ from those under age 25 who self-injure, including related to suicidal thoughts and behaviors? In this episode, psychologist Dr. Sarah Swannell from Australia discusses the prevalence of self-injury and self-harm among individuals over age 40 and stigma around the behavior.

Learn more about Dr. Swannell and her work at https://sarahswannell.com.au/. Below are links to some of her research referenced in this episode: 

1. Martin, G., & Swannell, S. (2016). Non-suicidal self-injury in the over 40s: Results from a large national epidemiological survey. Epidemiology, 6(5), 266.
2. Martin, G., Swannell, S. V., Hazell, P. L., Harrison, J. E., & Taylor, A. W. (2010). Self-injury in Australia: a community survey. Medical Journal of Australia, 193(9), 506-510. (Australian National Epidemiological Study of Self-Injury [ANESSI])
3. Troya, M. I., Dikomitis, L., Babatunde, O. O., Bartlam, B., & Chew-Graham, C. A. (2019). Understanding self-harm in older adults: A qualitative study. EClinical Medicine, 12, 52-61.

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The Psychology of Self-Injury podcast has been rated #5 by Feedspot in their "Best 20 Clinical Psychology Podcasts" and by Welp Magazine in their "20 Best Injury Podcasts."