The purpose of this study is to investigate university students, studying social work, attitudes against the drug policies, zero tolerance and Harm reduction. This was done by quantitative survey utilizing questioners targeting students in semester one to four at Stockholm University, Department of Social Work. The study included 295 students responding to the questioners. The results have been analyzed utilizing theories regarding attitudes and their influence of different social aspects; social influences, social norms and conformity. The result of this study shows that the students prefer the drug policy of Harm reduction over zero tolerance.

The drug treatment staff attitude towards needle exchange is what investigates in this study. The aim of this study is to see what?s affecting the standpoints in the needle exchange issue and also to investigate if the needle exchange is compatible with Swedish drug policy. The study has a qualitative approach and it?s based on eight semi-structured interviews with drug treatment staff.

This thesis discusses the Swedish drug policy and its principle of prohibition. In the world of today there is an ongoing discussion about prohibition and the concept of Harm reduction. This thesis is an analysis of Swedish drug policy and an investigation as to whether the prohibition concept is in a state of decline. It tries to answer the question; is the Swedish drug policy moving away from its prohibition principle towards a Harm reduction principle? The recent debate, articles, documents and earlier research has been analyzed in order to find answers to my questions.

Syfte: Syftet med vår uppsats är att belysa den etiska dimensionen av Harm reductionanknuten missbrukarvård. Till vår hjälp har vi haft etiska teorier och sociologen Zygmunt Baumans begrepp. Frågeställningar: Vi har använt oss av två huvudfrågor som vi därunder bryter ner i konkreta frågor. 1 Hur ser de etiska resonemangen ut hos personal verksam inom Harm reductionanknuten missbrukarvård?Vilken typ av etik använder de sig av? Har de centrala etiska principer, vilka? Hur ser de på etik och moral? Följer de etiskt formulerade regler? Hur ser de på prohibition? Hur ser de på drogbruk? Hur ser de på människan? Vad driver dem i deras arbete? Hur ser de på Harm reductions påverkan på samhället?2 Hur kan man förstå Harm reductionmetoders framväxt ur Baumans sociologiska perspektiv?Hur kan Harm reductionmetoder kopplas till det senmoderna samhället? Hur kan Harm reduction rättfärdigas etiskt utifrån ett sociologiskt perspektiv? Hur kan Harm reductions förklarar sociologiskt? Vilka förutsättningar fanns för att Harm reduction skulle kunna utvecklas? Hur kan Baumans begrepp förklara Harm reductions ställning i det senmoderna samhället? Metod: Vi har använt oss av en kvalitativ metod med intervjuer som redskap.

Denna uppsats behandlar ett antal stigmatiserade individers möjligheter att återinträda i samhällsgemenskapen efter ett liv i missbruk eller på institution. Detta har skildrats genom individernas livsresa, från inspärrning/inskrivning på totala institutioner till det vakuum som uppstår när de blivit frisläppta eller utskrivna, och vad de därefter har för möjligheter att förändra sin identitet och bli en del av samhällsgemenskapen. Vi har inriktat oss på en verksamhet, som fångar upp personer i ett mellanläge, efter inspärrning men före samhällsintegrering. Verksamheten har till skillnad från statliga behandlingsverksamheter en acceptans för Harm reduction. I tidigare forskning har vi beskrivit missbruksvården och den svenska narkotikapolitiken.

Harm reduction som insats, har för avsikt att minska de negativa konsekvenserna som tenderar att följa missbruket. Konceptet härstammar från 1920-talets England där grunderna för behandlingsformen utvecklades efter att läkarkåren ansåg att underhåll av missbruk i flera fall kan vara nödvändigt. Metadonbehandling och sprututbytesprojekt är två exempel på Harm reduction relaterade insatser. Grunderna för metadonbehandlingen utvecklades i USA av Marie Nyswander och Vincent Dole och lanserades 1966 i Sverige av professor Lars Gunne, aktiv vid Ulleråkers sjukhus i Uppsala. Läkemedelsassisterad behandling är dokumenterat effektiv och visar goda resultat som t.ex.

In this study the aim is to examine how employees in treatment programmes relate to girls that self-harm. To achieve this four questions were formulated: (1) What experiences does the empolyees have of meeting girls that self-harm? (2) Based on the employees? experiences, what has been the background to why the girls self-harm? (3) Based on the employees? experience, what increases or decreases the risk of self-harm? (4) How do the employees? work with girls that self-harm? The method being used was qualitative interviews with vignettes. The theoretical framework is Becker?s Labeling Theory and Bronfenbrenner?s Ecology of Human Development.

Self-harm is common among young people in Sweden. Therefore people who work with these young people need to have knowledge about self-harm to be able to provide the right help. The aim of this study was to investigate how the individual experience self-harm, and how this could be understood. The empirical material has been based on consisted of 28 life stories. 24 of them were written by women and 4 by men.

This study is of a qualitative phenomenological approach. Its background lies in recent reports that show the problem of self-harm increasing among adolescents. The intent of the study was to highlight school counselors? view of self-harm, and their experiences of meeting self-harm through their work. Six school counselors, all employed in secondary school, have participated in semi-structured interviews.

The purpose of this study was to examine the professionals´ views concerning self-harm behaviour in adolescents they meet. We interviewed nine different professionals. Our questions were: What do the professionals believe are the reasons to self-harm? How do the professionals experience self esteem and identity in adolescents with self-harm behaviour? How do the professionals look at the self-harm behaviour from a gender perspective? How do the professionals think a diagnosis can affect adolescents with self-harm behaviour? In our responses we noticed beliefs about the cause as a combination of environmental relationships and the individual who is born with a certain vulnerability. The professionals believe that the adolescents have trouble finding their identity.

Background: Patients with self-harm seek hospital care when something traumatic occurred. Self-harm was a way to cure pain and was expressed overdose, cutting, or by swallowing objects. They described that the staff were derisive, didn?t show empathy and engagement. Aim: The aim was to describe factors that effects staffs answer to self-harm behaviour through their perspective.

The aim with this study was to learn about the experiences of field workers and welfare officers in the field of possible self-harm behavior among young people.Our problem was: Do field workers and welfare officers treat young people with deliberate self-harm differently and - How do field workers and welfare officers describe deliberate self- harm?Our study was conducted through qualitative semistructured interviews with twelve interviewee?s.The result of this study shows that there is a difference in how young people with self-harm behavior are being treated - based on their gender.One possible cause for this result could be the old tradition mindset of viewing boys and girls differently ? and thus, treating them differently when they seek help.Our study shows there is a possibility of treating boys and girls differently ? which shows that we made a thought-provoking point.

The purpose of this thesis has been to investigaste the phenomenon of self-harm. To investigate this phenomenon, I interviewed three experts in Malmö and then compared the result with previous research on self-harm behaviour.The questions I wanted to answer were the following: How common is self-harm behaviour and how does it, according to experts, manifest itself among young men in Malmö? What can we learn from previous research about the causes of self-harm? Are there any correlations between the statements made by experts and previous research?My conclusion is that self-harm behaviour first and foremost is a mean of expression, a way of dealing with feelings that the self- harmer cannot deal with in any other way. People who suffer from self-harm behaviour often seem to have difficulties both in expressing and understanding their own feelings. Furthermore, they have often experienced abuse, abandonment, or other childhood traumas.

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders amongst students, has increased, and foremost amongst girls. One way to regulate their emotions, is by deliberate self-harm. Due to their profession, school nurses have the ability to detect self-harm amongst students, and can therefor give them a good professional support. AIM: The aim of this study is to describe the school nurse's experience of deliberate self-harm amongst students. METHOD: The study is based on thirteen interviews with school nurses, via e-mail.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of deliberate self-harm in a Swedish University population.Method: A random sample of first year students at University of Kalmar was invited to participate in an Internet-based survey in the autumn of 2007. A total of 139 (53,1 %) completed the anonymous survey.Results: The results showed that 25,2 % (n=35) of the students reported having engaged in some kind of deliberate self-harm at least once, and deliberate self-harm was endorsed by 7,9 % within the past year. The most frequently procedures to self-harm were to tear, carve or pinch self, cutting skin and hitting self on purpose. 37,1 % reported that they had told no one about their self-injurious behaviors and 36,4 % significantly reported that they had no one they trusted and who they could talk to if they were concerned about something. Students with self-injurious behavior were also more likely to report a history of emotional, sexual and/or physical abuse, alcohol and drug use, cut classes and questioning their sexual orientation.Conclusions: Findings suggest that self-harm is associated with risk factors and that self-injury is not only associated with adolescence but also with adulthood.