Blades, Blood and Bandages tells the stories of 25 people's experiences of self-injury. In so doing, themes which have so far been under represented in the study of this phenomenon are brought to the fore. In particular, it investigates how people who self-injure are affected by suffering, ritual and stigma.

THERESA MCSHANE is a sociologist and independent researcher specialising in the fields of self-injury, suicide and mental health in general. She has lectured at Queen's University, Belfast, in Mental Health Policy and Advanced Qualitative Research Methods.