Patrick J Sullivan
Journal of Medical Ethics
Published Online First: 09 February 2017.
doi: 10.1136/medethics-2015-103146
Abstract
This paper considers the ethical justification for the use of harm minimisation approaches with individuals who self-injure. While the general issues concerning harm minimisation have been widely debated, there has been only limited consideration of the ethical issues raised by allowing people to continue injuring themselves as part of an agreed therapeutic programme. I will argue that harm minimisation should be supported on the basis that it results in an overall reduction in harm when compared with more traditional ways of dealing with self-injurious behaviour. It will be argued that this is an example of a situation where healthcare professionals sometimes have a moral obligation to allow harm to come to their patients.
The article is here.
Showing posts with label Self-harm. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Self-harm. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Should we Prohibit Breast Implants?
Collective Moral Obligations in the Context of Harmful and Discriminatory Social Norms
By Jessica Laimann
Journal of Practical Ethics
Volume 3 Issue 2. December 2015
ABSTRACT
In liberal moral theory, interfering with someone’s deliberate engagement in a self-harming practice in order to promote their own good is often considered wrongfully paternalistic. But what if self-harming decisions are the product of an oppressive social context that imposes harmful norms on certain individuals, such as, arguably, in the case of cosmetic breast surgery? Clare Chambers suggests that such scenarios can mandate state interference in the form of prohibition. I argue that, unlike conventional measures, Chambers’ proposal recognises that harmful, discriminatory norms entail a twofold collective moral obligation: to eliminate the harmful norm in the long run, but also to address unjust harm that is inflicted in the meantime. I show that these two obligations tend to pull in opposite directions, thus generating a serious tension in Chambers’ proposal which eventually leads to an undue compromising of the second obligation in favour of the first. Based on this discussion, I develop an alternative proposal which, instead of prohibiting breast implant surgery, offers compensation for the disadvantages suffered by individuals who decide not to have surgery.
The paper is here.
By Jessica Laimann
Journal of Practical Ethics
Volume 3 Issue 2. December 2015
ABSTRACT
In liberal moral theory, interfering with someone’s deliberate engagement in a self-harming practice in order to promote their own good is often considered wrongfully paternalistic. But what if self-harming decisions are the product of an oppressive social context that imposes harmful norms on certain individuals, such as, arguably, in the case of cosmetic breast surgery? Clare Chambers suggests that such scenarios can mandate state interference in the form of prohibition. I argue that, unlike conventional measures, Chambers’ proposal recognises that harmful, discriminatory norms entail a twofold collective moral obligation: to eliminate the harmful norm in the long run, but also to address unjust harm that is inflicted in the meantime. I show that these two obligations tend to pull in opposite directions, thus generating a serious tension in Chambers’ proposal which eventually leads to an undue compromising of the second obligation in favour of the first. Based on this discussion, I develop an alternative proposal which, instead of prohibiting breast implant surgery, offers compensation for the disadvantages suffered by individuals who decide not to have surgery.
The paper is here.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Internet forums can have a positive influence on self-harmers, say researchers
By Jochan Embley
The Independent
Originally published October 31, 2013
Internet forums and chatrooms can have a positive influence on young people at risk from self-harm or suicide, researchers have found.
The review, which comes from researchers at Oxford University, does admit that there are also negative, potentially dangerous aspects to forums, however.
The entire story is here.
The Independent
Originally published October 31, 2013
Internet forums and chatrooms can have a positive influence on young people at risk from self-harm or suicide, researchers have found.
The review, which comes from researchers at Oxford University, does admit that there are also negative, potentially dangerous aspects to forums, however.
The entire story is here.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Self-harm and suicide in adolescents
The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9834, Pages 2373 - 2382, 23 June 2012
by K. Hawton, K. Saunders, and R. O'Connor
Originally published June 23, 2012
Summary
by K. Hawton, K. Saunders, and R. O'Connor
Originally published June 23, 2012
Summary
Self-harm and suicide are major public health problems in adolescents, with rates of self-harm being high in the teenage years and suicide being the second most common cause of death in young people worldwide. Important contributors to self-harm and suicide include genetic vulnerability and psychiatric, psychological, familial, social, and cultural factors. The effects of media and contagion are also important, with the internet having an important contemporary role. Prevention of self-harm and suicide needs both universal measures aimed at young people in general and targeted initiatives focused on high-risk groups. There is little evidence of effectiveness of either psychosocial or pharmacological treatment, with particular controversy surrounding the usefulness of antidepressants. Restriction of access to means for suicide is important. Major challenges include the development of greater understanding of the factors that contribute to self-harm and suicide in young people, especially mechanisms underlying contagion and the effect of new media. The identification of successful prevention initiatives aimed at young people and those at especially high risk, and the establishment of effective treatments for those who self-harm, are paramount needs.
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