In ancient times we hear about how our people, the Hebrews, expressed their grief when someone died. They ripped their clothes, wrenched out their hair and slashed their skin. Other cultures, such as some groups of Native Americans, have done the same thing. As bizarre as it may seem, this was normal for the times, a way of expressing emotional pain by physically inflicting it on themselves.

Today in our society this is not considered normal. Yet, there are a growing number of teens--mostly girls--who self-mutilate to alleviate emotional pain. Not only is the practice disturbing and disfiguring, it involves a whole disturbing cycle of pain, self-mutilation and then shame for having done this. What can you do about it if you're the parent of a teen or of a young woman who finds herself with this problem? There is help, but first you must understand the nature of the disturbance.

What is it?

As many as one percent of the population may engage in habitual self-injury, according to the Rock Creek Center's Self- Abuse Ends Alternatives (SAFE) program in Lemont, Illinois, the only U.S. treatment center for self-injurers. Self-mutilation usually involves cutting one's self with scissors, knives, razor blades, or other sharp objects. But it may also entail self-injury by burning and slapping one's self. The disorder usually begins between the ages of eleven and thirteen. Cutting is primarily a female affliction, writes Denise Mann for the Medical Tribune. "Men tend to act outwardly," says New York City therapist Steven Levenkron, M.S., "while women tend to get upset and take it out on themselves in eating disorders and self-harm behaviors."

Self-injury has been described as a compulsion. There's a build-up of tension and then an irresistible urge to take it out on one's self. The release is almost cathartic, just as another teen might cry over something. Many teens use self-harm as a form of self-punishment when they feel guilty over real or imagined wrongs they have committed.

However, self-mutilation is usually not a sign of an attempted suicide. The self-inflicted cuts are not deep and are generally found between the wrist and elbow on the forearm, explains Levenkron.

Signs and symptoms

Typical signs of self-mutilation can be found in someone with frequently unexplained scars, cuts and burns, or who wears long pants or sleeves even in warm weather to hide the wounds. Most teens will deny what they are doing to themselves at first. Says Wendy Lader, Ph.D., clinical director of SAFE, "You get a lot of crazy explanations in the emergency room." Physicians, if they notice multiple scars, should ask the patient if these are self-inflicted.

Remember this:

· Self-harm is a cry for help. If you suspect someone is hurting herself (or himself), approach the person and express concern about the cuts, just as you would if this person wasn't eating and was losing weight.
· Seek professional help if you are hurting yourself. This problem is often a symptom of a more serious underlying issue, such as physical abuse, that you should reveal to someone.
· There is effective treatment for self-harm, just as there is for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It may involve medication and different forms of psychotherapy, the most successful of which may be cognitive-behavioral therapy.
· In some cases, cutting may be a weird adolescent fad, like body piercing. How's a parent to know? If your child is dealing well in other aspects of her life, such as school, friendships, and family, then cutting might be a fad. But it's always best to play it safe and investigate if you think your child may be hurting herself.

Click here: 'Self-Help for Self-Injury' by Anonymous
http://www.mindspring.com/~thefly/selfinjury.htm

Click here: Channel 4000 - Hometown - Think With Your Head, Not Your Hands
http://festivalofthelakes.channel4000.com/news/stories/news-960501-184956.html

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