Self-immolation and the mental health care of survivors: Edited by Michelle Cleary, RN, PhD School of Nursing, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Self-immolation or self-burning, is a method of self-harm or suicide that involves the dousing with an accelerant and setting oneself alight (Ahmadi & Ahmadi, Citation2007; Cleary et al., Citation2019). It remains under-reported and as such it is difficult to assess the magnitude of self-immolation. There are both cultural and mental health factors that influence the choice of and response to self-immolation and explain, in part, the differences observed globally in its use (Ahmadi & Ahmadi, Citation2007). The demographics of those who self-immolate differ depending on their country of origin, beliefs and culture (Caine, Tan, Barnes, & Dziewulski, Citation2016; Cleary et al., Citation2019).

What is commonly observed of those who self-immolate is the difficulty of treatment, both physically and psychologically (Zamani, Bagheri, & Abbas Nejad, Citation2013). The challenges of wound healing, scarring and contractures, pain, and limitations of mobility and function are among the recognised physical challenges stemming from burns and result in an extended hospital stay (Caine et al., Citation2016; Norouzi, Taghinejad, Mohammadi, Mohammadi, & Suhrabi, Citation2012), while psychological treatment needs to address shock, altered body image, anger, and shame (Mirlashari, Nasrabadi, & Amin, Citation2017). Many burn survivors are also known to have a previous experience of physical and psychological trauma (known as trauma recidivism) (McLean et al., Citation2015).