Citation

Rashid A. Br. J. Gen. Pract. 2018; 68(672): 335.

Affiliation

UCL Medical School, UCL, London. Email: ahmed.rashid@ucl.ac.uk@Dr_A_Rashid.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Royal College of General Practitioners)

DOI

10.3399/bjgp18X697757

PMID

29954803

Abstract

About 1 in 10 young people will self-harm at some point, and rates are rising. In recent times, there has been much debate about the relationship between online activity and self-harm. Some have argued that there are benefits, including reduced social isolation and greater opportunities for self-disclosure. There have also, though, been concerns about normalisation, acceptance, and social reinforcement. A recent German study analysed 2826 Instagram pictures that directly depicted wounds from self-harm.

The images, posted in a 4-week period in April 2016, commonly showed mild to moderate cutting injuries to arms and legs. More severe injuries received more comments. Although most comments were neutral or empathic, with some offering help, a few comments were hostile. The authors conclude that social reinforcement might play a role in the posting of more severe pictures and suggest that social media platforms need to take appropriate measures to prevent online social contagion.

© British Journal of General Practice 2018

Language: en