Assessing Self Harm in a Mental Health Setting

Emma is an inpatient, following an episode of serious self harm. She is diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder. This film is in two parts. In the first we see the impact of labelling someone like Emma as "a PD", the types of attitudes that come from that and the how it affects her. At the end of that section of the film, ask yourself whether or not you think Emma has been helped and what likelihood there is that she might harm herself again. Although time constraints mean that the second part of the film only features a shortened version of a risk assessment, we see the nurse being far more focused on Emma's needs and using specific interviewing techniques to explore in detail her thoughts and feelings and how they result in her self harming behaviour. These include open ended questions, reflection, summarising, funnelling in, gently confronting and problem solving. If you want to read more about the subject matter of this film, you can try "A Pocket Guide to Risk Assessment and Management in Mental Health", by Chris Hart and published by Routledge. It's available as an e-Book, on Amazon and in book shops.