By MARY LYNN SMITH
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Self-injury is a hard-to-explain phenomenon that has teenagers hurting themselves to feel better. And health experts say the problem is on the rise.
Experts say that a growing number of teens and college students are turning to self-injury to ease emotional pain and find balance. A national study found that 17 percent of students surveyed at Cornell and Princeton universities say they have cut themselves.
Salina Renninger, senior psychologist at the University of Minnesota counseling and consulting services, and Charlene Koel, a psychologist for the Anoka-Hennepin School District in Minnesota, say that the survey numbers are probably on target, and that self-injury has become so commonplace that the district has increased staff training to help deal with it. Koel said it has reached "chronic epidemic" proportions in the middle schools, primarily among girls.
"Middle school is probably the worst time in your life," Koel said. "Hormones are raging, puberty is happening and there's pressure to conform to be in the in-crowd. ... When something happens that wounds their soul, they don't know how to deal with that."
So they scratch, cut, bite, burn and hit themselves. They bleed, bruise and blister. And in a perplexing and alarming way, psychologists say, this brings relief.
"It's a sick way of coping," said Gary Blount, a psychiatrist at Allina Behavioral Health Services in St. Paul. "There's an addictiveness to it. It makes them feel better but then it bites them in the butt. They are shamed by it."
Students are very secretive about self-injury and usually don't do it to get attention, but it's a clear sign of stress _ particularly among college students, Renninger said.
"School is more expensive than ever, competition is higher than ever and cultural expectations have increased over time," Renninger said. In addition, many students never learned life skills such as balancing a checkbook, doing laundry and dealing with conflict and academic disappointment. As a result, they feel overwhelmed.
They cope through binge drinking, excessive gambling, out-of-control spending, obsession with pornographic Web sites _ and, sometimes, self-injury.
Self-injury has become one of the most requested topics at Edens Group Training Center in St. Paul, which offers training to make schools and workplaces safe and chemical-free. "It's definitely mood-altering and a coping mechanism," said Karen Edens, owner and founder. "The general public awareness is very limited. The denial is huge."
Studies have shown that a large number of those who harm themselves have suffered trauma, such as physical or sexual abuse. But an emerging group are high achievers, said Barent Walsh, who has studied the issue since the 1980s and written a book, "Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide."I have a self-injurer who was a prom queen and another who is the captain of her athletic team," Walsh said. "The key is that they're stressed and they don't have the coping skills."
i cut
Hi,
I am 13 yrs old and ive been cutting myself for abot 4 months now. i get a's and b's on the dance team and play softball, and im known at m school as a prep/redneck. most people dont kow i cut myself, only my 2 friends, boyfriend (who also cuts himself), and stepbrother. i do deeply want to tell my parents but i dont know how i can because my mom is in jail at the time, and my dads an alcoholic who wont isten to anything have to say. i love them both either way, but if i told them they would tell the rest of my family and i dont know if i could handle that because i would only get ridiculed and that would make me want to cut myself again. the thing is i dont wear long sleeves a whole lot. i have cut myself on my wrists everyday, and on my legs about 5 times. i just needed to tell someone all of this...thanks.
^_^
Dont worry I know lots of people who do do that. I do it to. I am here if you want to talk! My names Lizzie. You? I am 14 and my fav. color is purple. I would like to hear more about your parents if you dont mind talking about it. Write back,
-Lizzie
im 16 n i cut my self it
im 16 n i cut my self it help can we talk pls i dnt hav anyone elsee
I cut
I am a 14 year old girl. I cut myself and your right it does help. People dont get it! People need to understand that were not phsyco OR sick! Please help...
High school cutter
I'm 16 and have cut myself for 5 years. I am about to be diagnosed with depression and be put on medication. My parents know and I can't be out of their sight. This site explains more about middle schoolers cutting but it is a growing problem more in high school. I even go to an early college and i know plently of people who do this. Oh, and to the first commet thingy: don't cut on your arms. Even if you know it wont become a suicide attempt you never know what you will do in that final moment where you cut your arms and you are so upset that you cut too deep. Just a precaution.
Imma Cutter
Hey My Name Is Trix & I'm 18...I Have Been Cutting For 6 Yrs Now...It Started Cuz My Mom Was An Addict & My Dad Was An Alcoholic...I Am Trying 2 Read Up On It 2 Stop...It Hard Though...Your Right...It Makes Me Feel Better Than Facing The Stressing Emotions In My Life.
I Cut Myself
I am a 12 year old girl. I cut myself on my arms and legs. I just started a few weeks ago. I really need help. I want to stop, but I can't. I hate the way it looks and it makes me mad and I do it more. My mom keeps on threatening to take me to a hospital if I don't stop...but I can't. It's the only stress reliever I have.
I have been feeling sick of life and I want to die. I'm just too scared to kill myself though. I feel like no body cares about me, sometimes even my own family (who likes to talk about me) I really don't know what to do. I'm so scared. I'm not pshyco. Just depressed and scared. I don't know what I'm going to do...
help
I know this girl that is very special to me and she also cuts herself when she is stressed. Whats a good way to help her cope with her stress?
she is very special to me and I see that she is capable of doing great things if she could learn to cope with all the stress.
Dear help: I am in nursing
Dear help:
I am in nursing psychology and my best advice to give you is to get you friend in counseling. She needs to understand that this type of behavior is an unhealthy way to deal with stress. The most important thing for you to do is to be supportive of her treatment to get better. It is good she has a friend like you that is concerned. But she needs to seek professional help from a licensed psychiatrist. She might need medications and someone that can help her recognize her feelings and need to self-inflict harm by "cutting". And they can also provide her with stress-relieving alternatives that are a healthy way to cope with stress. I hope this helps!
When does it get easy?
It never gets easy. I am 16, I have been cutting since I was 12. I cut. It feels so much better to say that. I cut my wrist, ankles, thighs, stomach any where I can cover it up. I cut my wrists and ankles because that is where I feel it the most. I have tried quiting, But like the article says it is ADDICTING. I wish I hadn't started, but then again, I don't wish that. I hate cutting, the way people can see my pain. But I love the way I feel after wards. Its horrible to say, but it almost like taking drugs, I feel as if I have escapism. Which is what I want an escape. Life has been tough as hell. Niether of my parents were ment to have kids, and it shows. I need something to help me control things, some thing to help me physically feel what mentally hurts. Cutting is away I do this.
i don't mean to help
i am no psychologist, i can't help you, nor i ever hurt myself, but i am almost 40 and witnessed hows society is evolving. You are not abnormal, are simply responding in a peculiar way.
Responding to what? well you are meant NOT to be happy. Satisfaction means needing nothing and noone more. That makes you free. Dissatisfaction means you seek something. You are not free anymore, seeking becomes a powerful way for external forces to influence your actions.
What external forces? Look around. Modern world economy works by creating and never completely fulfill desires. Selling more than what is needed. A free individual does not fit this model. Advertising is built on creating dissatisfaction. Advertising tells you explicitly "do what you want" but then implicitly dictates you what you should do to be "like the winners". Big scam.
But you don't need to hate advertising or the economy to fight this.
Simply be aware of it.
Do things which make you a better person, but with your own conscience as the judge of what is better. Your conscience, not your impulse or desires. Those have been modified by modern society since when your grandpa was a child.
Last thing, there could not come any reward for being good: that happens in TV, where the loner fights against evil and wins. Real life is different. You know that.
That's my 2c.
re: i don't mean to help
I couldn't agree with you more about marketers exploiting our various insecurities and fears. Some fears are actually engendered by marketing interests. This has been going on since just after WWII. This is a serious issue in my eyes. Once upon a time portions of the public protested about this kind of thing, but it seems to have become so ingrained in our society now that it's just accepted.
I also think that you are way off base in saying this is the reason why cutters do what they do.
This kind of activity is almost always the result of coping mechanisms that people have used through years of traumatic experiences; serious trauma like sexual abuse, emotional abuse and physical abuse, in general. I was never a cutter, but have found it necessary to seek counseling for other behavioral problems. There is help out there to be had, but it is hard work that at times seems insurmountable. Good help is difficult to find, as well.
These are issues that transcend marketing techniques, and it is arrogant, condescending and judgmental for one to simply say that "you are merely reacting to everyday forces in a peculiar way", when one has no idea what one is talking about.
Show some compassion, for Pete's sake.
hey my name's cj. im 16
hey
my name's cj. im 16 years old. i never really cut. i did a couple of times but it wasn't like you guys. my friend did though.
i've heard that the reason it works as a stress releiver is because there are veins in those areas on your arms and ankles that have stress release. so all you have to do is find another way to releive stress. running works...but if you are not a runner than try something else. pick up a bad habit or something.
There is help, but not from "I Don't Mean To Help."
"well you are meant NOT to be happy. Satisfaction means needing nothing and noone more. That makes you free. Dissatisfaction means you seek something. You are not free anymore, seeking becomes a powerful way for external forces to influence your actions."
I Don't Mean To Help, YOU HAVE NO IDEA!!
Your buddhist idealism might work for you. But for us cutters that pain is real, scary, inescapable, and overwhelming. It's not something we can just disassociate from. It's something we have to face and deal with. What you're saying is like telling an infant not to cry. Don't even try to tell us that realizing society will make our rapist's face just disappear from our nightmares until you have felt trauma and pain like ours.
I'm 30 and have been cutting for a while. I returned to the doctor recently to go back on meds. Even when I was back on them, I cut myself. This last time, I cut too deep. I severed a tendon in my wrist and had surgery to repair it. That good feeling i had after I cut was shattered in the ER as I tried to convince the doctor that I was fine and simply had a kitchen accident. People do judge you and act differently when they know your secret. The ER doctor said to me, "what kind of crazy people think severing your tissues helps?" He proceeded to tell me he didn't think it was worthwhile to repair me since I'll just do it again. Ironically that statement alone made me feel worse and want to cut again. However, I was lucky to be introduced to a shrink that has shown me some insight and really help me. When you cut, endorphins are released in your brain that are similar to adrenaline, dopamine, and oxytocin. It's the same feeling you get after you exercise or have sex. The ways that we have been hurt in the past prevent our brains from producing those endorphins and feelings the way other people do. We're not abnormal because everyone needs that release to deal with emotions. This is how we have learned to do that. When you want to cut, write down all of the feelings that you are having. This may be your trigger feelings, and the ones that need to be dealt with the most. It helps to have someone you can discuss these triggers with that you can trust. Although finding someone you trust within itself is a feat. Many of us don't have a support system that can help us in healthy ways. But there are people out there on the internet, in clinics, in schools that can help you. Be picky in who you ask, but don't be afraid to ask once you found someone you can trust.
But there are people out there that have successfully stopped cutting. It's a long journey, but it's possible.
Hi, I am a Mom of a daughter
Hi, I am a Mom of a daughter who has tried cutting and recently bruised herself seriously from punching. I am a recovering alcoholic and a child of an alcoholic. I remember doing hurtful things when I was younger and was addicted to the endorphins produced by running/sports. When you grow up in an alcoholic home there is Neglect. Children need identification, self-assurance, consistency, love on a regular basis. I am looking into counseling for my children and others with this should also. There is a lot of SHAME in addicted families, deal with shame, love yourself, and learn to appreciate Life. It's called Recovery. Recovering What was Lost. Endorphins, medications (may help), drugs, sex anything like that food etc are quick fixes and the family cycles will continue. Surround yourself with Positive people, love yourself and expect others to too, don't go backward when you're learning to love yourself, go forward. Good things are waiting.....
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