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 | What Kids Say About Self MutilationFifteen-year-old Thea Rowan started cutting herself for a very common reason: Her friends were doing it."When the ninth grade started, I was stressed out with a bunch of stuff," she says. "Then I started to get into cutting really heavily. I was doing it numerous times a day. It just somehow provided some sort of relief. It became so controlling of everything else." A growing number of adolescents, teens and young adults have frighteningly similar stories. As these comments show, they turn to selfmutilation to make themselves feel better: "It was giving me power. I could control something." "It takes away my emotional pain and puts it into physical pain instead. I’d rather have the physical pain … because I can watch it heal." "Cutting makes me feel really calm." "It soothes me for awhile." You can help your child avoid the perils of self-injury. Teach your child coping skills at an early age. Talk with your child frankly about this alarming trend. If you suspect that your child self-mutilates, seek help right away from an experienced mental health professional. If you or someone you know is self-mutilating,
get help today. Call
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