(Re)thinking about self-harm and autism: Findings from an online qualitative study on self-harm in autistic adults

There is a higher prevalence of self-harming behaviours within the autistic community than is experienced by the general population, in addition to co-occurring mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. To date, research has focused on quantifying and categorising the numbers of autistic people self-harming, what types of harming they are engaging in and what functions the harming performs. Autism research has historically focused on the opinions and experiences of parents, carers and clinicians, with a belief that autistic people are unable to present their own experiences and thoughts accurately. This study adopted a qualitative method to develop themes arising from online forum discussions, using the words of autistic adults talking about how they experience and understand their self-harming behaviours. The analysis discovered that self-harming behaviours are used by autistic people as a way of coping with anxiety and depression and to relieve the build up of stress and sensory or mental overload that can otherwise lead to a meltdown. Repetitive behaviours such as stimming are also used to relieve the buildup of sensory over-stimulation and anxiety, but both stimming and meltdowns can also be self-harming behaviours if they cause tissue damage, and are believed to be childhood presentations which are stigmatised if expressed by an autistic adult. Many autistic adults find it hard to get help with self-harming behaviours because they are not taken seriously by professionals, as it is seen as part of autism and cannot be helped, or the professionals do not have enough knowledge of autism.