Self Harm
Sometimes if a person is feeling sad or overwhelmed and they don’t know what to do, they end up hurting themselves to deal with how they feel. Self injury is a way that people try to cope with pain from real and strong emotions. Hurting yourself to escape your emotions is not a healthy way to cope. Self harm can make you feel even worse.
If someone has been hurting themselves, it can feel almost impossible to stop. But every person has strength inside of themselves to stop and to heal. Talk to a parent, a friend, a school counselor or therapist, or pick up a phone and call us. No one deserves to feel alone. Remember that hope and help are real.
But there are always better ways to take care of yourself and feel better……… http://www.state.sc.us/dmh/bryan/webstres.htm
If you are cutting or know someone who does, check out these resources:
S.A.F.E. Alternatives is a professional organization, with a website that provides community support, treatment programs and article resources.
http://www.mosaicminds.org/safe-new.shtml
Mosaic Minds is an online resource for people struggling with self injury, by people who have or are struggling with self injury. This link is tot he page specifically about staying safe.
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/self_injury.htm
Helpguide is a non-profit website with information for someone who is directly cutting or injuring themselves and wants to stop, as well as for someone who is finding help for a friend or loved one.
*Very easy to scroll through and find information
http://www.teenbreaks.com/cutting/cuttinghome.cfm
Teen Breaks is a good website for girls who cut. There are lots of stories about teenage girls going through similar issues.
* Note: this website is very anti-abortion, and we recommend other sides for dealing with pregnancy on our other page.
Want to hear more from other youth who know what you’re going through? Check out our blog posts on Self Harm.