Psyche On The Skin: A History Of Self-Harm

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Self-harm is thought by many to be a modern epidemic a phenomenon of the late twentieth century a symptom of extreme emotional turmoil in young people particularly young women Yet it was 150 years ago within early asylum psychiatry that self-mutilation was first codified as a category of behaviour & explanations for a variety of self-injurious acts were conceived very differently Psyche on the Skin charts the secret history of self-harm The book describes its many forms from sexual self-mutilation & hysterical malingering in the late Victorian period to self-castrating religious sects to self-mutilation & self-destruction in art music & popular culture Sarah Chaney's refreshing historical approach refutes the notion that self-harm has any universal meaning
- that it necessarily says something specific about an individual or group or that it can ever be understood outside the historical & cultural context of a particular era Drawing on her personal experiences written in an engaging style & containing many powerful images Psyche on the Skin challenges the misconceptions & controversies surrounding self-harm The book is crucial reading for professionals in the field as well as all those affected by this act