Alla ser såren, men det är inte där det gör ont: en studie om varför flickor skär sig och adekvat behandling

Sammanfattning: The aim with this study was to examine professional peoples' view on the reason why females, under the age of 18 years old, self-harm and the professionals view on their treatment. The study is qualitative and based on eight interviews with professional personnel who work with young females with self-harm behavior in the region of Skåne. To be able to analyze our qualitative interviews we used two theories; the attachment theory and trauma theory. The results of this study show that there are many different functions with the self-harm behavior and that the cause of the behavior can be different among the females. Most of the young females seem to self-harm to reduce anxiety but some also do it to punish themselves, to feel alive or to belong to a group of friends. The majority of the young females who self-harm seem to have a trauma in their childhood and some also have problems in the attachment to their parents. The results of the study also show that there are different treatments for young females with a self-harm behavior. The most common treatment seems to be therapeutic sessions or therapeutic sessions with a complementary treatment.