Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access

Abstract

Dyslexia: Investigating Self-Harm and Suicidal Thoughts/Attempts as a Coping Strategy

Neil Alexander-Passe

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the emotional perspective of having Dyslexia, a specific learning difficulty that not only affects literacy but many aspects of an individual’s life, from childhood into adulthood. This paper investigates negative emotional coping which took place, which included self-harming with: alcohol, food, body injury, suicide thoughts and suicidal attempts.

Method: The sample of N=29 diagnosed developmental dyslexics (N=22 with prior diagnosis of depression) were interviewed with a semi-structured script with a wide ranging script spanning childhood and adulthood experience. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyse the data into themes.

Results: Self-harm was greater in the depressive to non-depressive sample; however, the type of self-harm varied. Males and non-depressives tended to predominantly self-harm with alcohol, followed by food and then rarely with bodily harm, whereas females in general, tended to predominantly self-harm with food, then bodily harm and lastly alcohol. Overall depressives self-harmed predominantly with food and then equally between alcohol and bodily-harm.

Conclusion: Each group had their own profile and suggests that self-harm is a complex issue, with self-harm activities happening both in child and adulthood.