The Poetry of Self-Harm, Suicide and Oppression: Theoretical and Clinical Explorations of Self-Harm and Suicide

Youth self-harm and attempted suicide are national and international issues that are positively related to completed suicide. They have a major impact upon the lives of young people and their families and represent a significant drain upon the economic and clinical resources of the National Health Service (NHS). This article examines the relationship between poetry, self-harm and suicide in the context of literary analysis and the psychotherapeutic relationship. A single poem is taken from a supportive internet website and is presented for analysis and reflection. The analytical position adopted seeks to illustrate and illuminate the complex intentions and often paradoxical motivations of those young people who self-harm and attempt suicide. It is argued that poetry can be a significant communication to the self and to the m/other. It provides a unique window into the minds of young people offering clinicians and practitioners the opportunity to consider the dark despair of the suicidal mind. A clinical scenario is described to support this. The article also introduces the construct of sexual oppression and how sexual violence, namely war rape, is used to dominate, subjugate and annihilate the other.