Self-directed violence – the spectrum of self-harming thoughts and behaviours that can lead to suicide – is more common in women and girls globally than any other group. Yet the world has given little attention to why women and girls choose to use it.

We are dedicated to strengthening our understanding of how, why and with what consequences self-harm and suicide are used by women and girls, what we can do to spot those at risk, and how we might support them to make different choices.

Based on extensive, multi-method research in South Asia, The Pain Pathway offers us the first developing model to understand the common process women and girls go through before, during and after self-harm.