Thursday August 15, 2002
Dave Pelzer:
The Lost Boy Found
How many times have you turned on the evening news and seen a kidnapping, a drive-by shooting, a murderer on the loose? Time and again, right? But how many times have you seen a parent charged with child abuse? The answer is: not very often. Too many parents in our society are getting away with inhumane treatment of their helpless children. In Dave Pelzer's autobiographical series, we are told of one of the worst cases of child abuse in the United States. The series, consisting of four books titled A Child Called 'It', The Lost Boy, A Man Named Dave, and the self-help book Help Yourself, chronicles the life of a child who overcame the worst of living conditions and through his own personal strength beat the odds, the system, and society. This heartbreaking series is a triumph, an inspiration to all who read it and an emotional rollercoaster ride with a happy ending. If one child alone can conquer incredible odds, we all can.
Site Suggestions
This issue's suggested site: National Center for PTSDSaving The Self: The Reality of Self-Mutilation
Have you ever gone to class and noticed oddly even scrapes on your lab partner's forearm? Wounds that never seem to heal? Skin picked clean from his or her knuckles? These are all signs of self-mutilation, also refered to as self-harm, self-abuse, and most commonly, self-injury. Self-injury "is the act of deliberately hurting oneself without the intent to commit suicide." It is a "maladaptive, pre-verbal and ultimately destructive coping mechanism," It is often times a fearful attempt at showing that something is wrong but that the person is unable to express their emotions. It is very important to remember that self-injury is hardly a failed suicide attempt but rather an attempt at sustaining life.Self injury is increasingly common among women and men beginning in their teens. Reported incidents are stereotypically found in women starting in their teens to early twenties, and continue into their early sixties. Most people who harm themselves do so to fulfill the desire to feel something, to gain control, or to numb their feelings. Others report the desire to feel validation, to punish themselves, and varying other reasons. Because self-injury is a coping mechanism, it is also common among people with eating disorders, and vice versa. Self injurers are often over-achievers driven to excess.
Self-injuiry is sometimes refered to as an addictive act because when someone injures his- or herself, the brain releases endorphins. These hormones are the same released when drinking and exercising, giving them a "high" feeling. Finding other ways to feel this "high" is one way to overcome this self-destructive behavior. And although finding other coping mechanisms is a way to stop harming oneself, there are often underlying issues that need to be "brought to the surface" through talk therapy and sometimes hospitalization. Medication to stablize the mood is also useful but ultimately, will not solve the problem.
As a friend or relative of someone who self injures, it is important to find out all you can about why people do it and how you can help, and most of all don't take it personally. For more information on self-injury or for available crisis hotlines, please see the sources following this article.
If you or a loved one self-injures and wants to seek help, there is a facility for those dedicated to recovery with an intensive program specifically for self-injurious behaviors in Chicago, Illinois, USA called S.A.F.E. However, hospitalization is not necessarily needed to stop this behavior, but it is important that you seek help as soon as possible before self-injury turns to self-destruction.
Resources:
Self Injury: Behind The Hidden Pain by Andrew Levander M.A., M.A.C. Steps For Recovery, July 2002
A Bring Red Scream by Mariee Strong
Skin Game by Caroline Kettlewell
Cutting by Steven Levencron
For more information:
http://www.selfharm.com
http://www.palace.net/~llama/psych/injury.html
http://www.selfinjury.org.uk/
Crisis Numbers:
SAFE ALTERNATIVES: 1-800-DONT-CUT
TEEN LINE: 1-800-TLC-TEEN
CALIFORNIA YOUTH CRISIS HOTLINE: 1-800-843-5200
Self Abuse
by Unknown