Janet Haines

The psychophysiology of self-mutilation: Evidence of tension reduction

Psychophysiological and psychological arousal patterns of individuals who self-mutilate during imaged self-mutilation were examined. Imaged control events (accidental injury, anger, neutral) were compared between self-mutilation and control groups. Personalised guided imagery scripts were presented in four stages: scene setting, approach, incident, and consequence. Results depicted a decrease in psychophysiological arousal when self-mutilation participants imaged cutting themselves. A decrease in psychological response was not evident until after cutting. Responses to self-mutilation imagery were different from those demonstrated during control imagery. A comparison of responses to self-mutilation imagery between past and currently self-mutilating participants indicated no difference in the psychophysiological arousal patterns to self-mutilation imagery. A lag was evident for psychological arousal for the retrospective sample but not for the current group. These results indicated that self-mutilative behaviour is maintained by the psychophysiological and psychological tension-reducing qualities of the act. When a person is no longer engaging in the behaviour, the feelings associated with the act are open to reinterpretation.

Motives for Suicide—A Study of Australian Suicide Notes

Analysis of a large sample of suicide notes from 262 suicides in Australia found that men less often had escape from pain as a motive for their suicides and more often had love/romantic problems. The suicides of older persons were more often motivated by escape from pain and less often had love/romantic problems.

The psychopathology of incarcerated self-mutilators

Objective To investigate the symptomatology of severe psychopathology reported by male incarcerated self-mutilators. Method Comparisons were made with a nonmutilating incarcerated group and a nonincarcerated, nonmutilator group. Results A distinctive pattern of symptomatology emerged. Self-mutilators evidenced a wide range of elevated scores on general measures of psychological/psychiatric symptoms, particularly depression and hostility. Aspects of hostility that distinguished self-mutilators from other groups included the urge to act out hostile feelings, critical feelings towards others, paranoid feelings of hostility and guilt. Self-mutilators demonstrated substantial problems with substance abuse, particularly alcohol. Conclusion A pattern of passive-aggressive, schizoid and avoidant personality styles distinguished self-mutilators from other groups.

The Psychophysiology of Repetitive Self-Mutilation

Psychophysiological and psychological responses of frequent self-mutilation participants (more than five life time self-mutilative episodes, n=29) and an infrequent self-mutilation group (less than five life time events, n=14) to self-mutilation imagery were compared to determine whether the reinforcement processes associated with the act itself alter as self-mutilative behavior becomes habitual. Personalised guided imagery scripts depicting an actual episode of self-mutilation were presented in four stages: scene setting, approach, incident, and consequence. No differences in psychophysiological response to imagery between frequent and infrequent groups was evident. Some between group differences were demonstrated for psychological response. Results indicated that although psycho-physiological benefits of the behavior are evident from the first episode, self-mutilation initially is perceived as a frightening experience which is associated with limited psychological benefits. Psychological response to self-mutilation alters as the behavior becomes habitual. Further research regarding the specific purposes and mechanisms of the behavior is required to determine how discrete episodes of self-mutilation develop into a repetitive behavioral cycle.

Severe morbid onychophagia: The classification as self-mutilation and a proposed model of maintenance

Objectives: The aim of this review is to make a distinction between a mild and a severe form of onychophagia (nailbiting) that has not been adequately recognised in clinical research. Furthermore, the aim is to emphasise the need for greater under standing of the motivation for such self-injury as occurs in the severe form. The purpose of making the distinction is to evaluate whether a label of self-mutilation can be applied to the severe form. If this is the case, the tension-reduction model of self-mutilation can be proposed as the mechanism which may maintain the behaviour in the face of serious social and physical consequences. Method: Examination was made of the literature relating to onychophagia and to self-mutilation. Treatment studies of onychophagia were examined to evaluate the mechanisms by which the behaviour may be maintained. Results: Considering the self-mutilative nature of the severe form and the common theme of tension reduction in the literature on onychophagia, application of the tension-reduction model of self-mutilation is warranted. Conclusion: There is a need for empirical research as to the tension-reducing nature of severe onychophagia.

The self-mutilative nature of severe onychophagia: a comparison with self-cutting.

Objective: To investigate the psychophysiological pattern associated with severe and mild onychophagia, and to compare this pattern with that demonstrated by previous research on self-cutting. Method: Comparisons between the psychophysiological responses accompanying 3 behaviours were made using a guided imagery methodology. Imagery ofnail-related, skin-cutting, and neutral events were presented in 4 stages. Results: Experiment I distinguished participants exhibiting severe and mild onychophagia by the severity and frequency of nail-biting and by the pattern of psychophysiological response across the stages. Experiment II indicated that the change in psychophysiological arousal accompanying severe onychophagia was not as dramatic as that demonstrated for skin-cutting. The behaviour seems to be less effective in reducing tension. Conclusion: Severe onychophagia appears to manage the level of tension experienced by an individual, instead of dramatically reducing it in times of crisis. Such a process is consistent with that demonstrated in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Psychophysiological and Psychological Correlates of Dissociation in a Case of Dissociative Identity Disorder

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to examine the psychological and psychophysiological mechanisms that underlie dissociative experiences in dissociative disorders. A four-stage, personalized guided imagery methodology was used to recreate the psychological and psychophysiological responses associated with two dissociative episodes experienced by a 25 year old, single female diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. The responses to these two dissociative episodes were compared with a stressful experience and an emotionally neutral event. The results demonstrated a reduction in psychophysiological arousal associated with the experience of dissociation during times of intense distress accompanied by relevant alterations in psychological response. It was concluded that the experience of dissociation served to protect this individual from extreme distress and, therefore, functioned as a protective mechanism.

Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness in suicide notes.

BACKGROUND Joiners interpersonal theory of suicide postulates that suicide occurs because of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness, combined with a capability for committing suicide. AIMS The present study examines the frequency of the presence of the themes of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness in suicide notes. METHODS A total of 261 suicide notes from 1091 consecutive completed suicides in Tasmania were rated for the presence of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. RESULTS Contrary to the theory, few suicide notes were found to include perceived burdensomeness (10.3%) and thwarted belongingness (30.7%), and only 4.2% had both themes. The notes of women more often contained the theme of perceived burdensomeness, while the notes of younger suicides more often contained the theme of thwarted belongingness. CONCLUSIONS Joiners theory of suicide may apply to only a small percentage of suicides who leave suicide notes.

Murder–suicide: A reaction to interpersonal crises

The aim of this study was to examine the nature of homicide-suicides and determine the ways in which they differ from suicides without the perpetration of homicide in terms of their demographic characteristics, suicide, medical and psychiatric history, their psychological state leading up to the suicide, and their motives for their suicidal behavior. Cases of homicide-suicide from a 20-year period were extracted from the Coroners inquest files and were matched to suicide-only cases on the basis of age and sex. The characteristics that predominantly distinguished the homicide-suicides were based on psychological state leading up to the act and motive for the act. It is proposed that homicide-suicides may be better understood within an expressive homicide framework.

Motor vehicle accident trauma exposure: Personality profiles associated with posttraumatic diagnoses

Abstract Personality profiles associated with diagnostically distinct posttraumatic responses were examined. Profiles were compared between three groups defined on the basis of posttraumatic diagnosis following motor vehicle accident (MVA) trauma exposure. The diagnostic groups were: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) without progression to PTSD, and subclinical responses. Participants were male and female community volunteers aged 18 to 77 (N = 83) who had all been exposed to an MVA meeting the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for a traumatic event. The Personality Assessment Inventory (Morey, 1991) was used to assess psychological variables in the framework of posttraumatic diagnostic groups. The PTSD group scored significantly higher than the ASD and subclinical groups on scales assessing somatic complaints, anxiety, anxiety related disorders, depression, non-psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia, and negative relationships. The profile of the ASD group was characterized by self report of greater interpersonal warmth and a trend for greater egocentricity than the PTSD group. There were no significant differences in the personality profiles of the ASD and subclinical groups. The role of personality factors in posttraumatic adjustment is discussed in the context of previous literature.