I'M FINE

“I bleed away my problems 
I scratch them all away 
My problems drip away from me 
And slither down the drain 

“My problems are dissolved in crimson 
My scarlet poison makes them die 
A piece of metal shatters them 
And through my veins the pieces fly 

“These scars upon my skin 
Tell tales of secret pain 
But come and listen to them 
Of the truth I'm not ashamed 

“My problems are hidden from you 
I hide them oh so well 
What's wrong? I tell you nothing 
'Cause you can't save me from this hell 

“I know, it's stupid that I can only get everything out like that. Whatever.”

A MODERN EPIDEMIC

It is an epidemic that seems to be hitting our teens in record numbers and sweeping across the nation and perhaps even the world at an increasing rate. It is a phenomenon that many parents, grandparents and guardians of children do not even know exists because it happens behind closed doors and the scars are hidden. Their own children may actually be cutters and they don’t even now it. Even the adults that discover that their teens are doing it do not know what to do.

This alarming behavior encapsulates the heart and soul of the young person’s state of despair, and it leads them down a path of destruction, not only physically, but also emotionally and spiritually.

Since the beginning of time, man has tried to find different ways to cope with the struggles and challenges of life. Even just a few decades ago, in the 1930’s, alcoholism was prevalent. In the 1970’s, the issue of drug addiction came onto the scene. In the 1980’s, treatments for food and gambling addictions were common. Beginning in the 90’s, sexual addictions became a stronghold in the lives of many, even in the body of Christ.

Among teens, one of the most prevalent issues that we are discovering is cutting. The aim of this resource is to explain what cutting is all about, indicate some of the triggers that cause it, and discover what we can do to help someone who is in bondage to this activity. This informative review will not focus on any acts of self-injury that are inflicted for reasons of sexual pleasure, tattooing, or conscious suicidal intentions. Only that of cutting for the sake of relieving emotional pain will be mostly discussed.

WHY PEOPLE TURN TO CUTTING

Studies have recently concluded that self-injurers, when faced with strong emotions or overwhelming situations, tend to choose to harm themselves because it brings them a rapid sense of release from tension and anxiety. The person seeks to find immediate relief from their emotional pain by exposing themselves to external pain. The self-injurer may feel a release from the emotional agony, and even if he/she feels guilty or angry afterward, it won’t be an oppressive, pushing, and demanding tension-filled feeling that it was before. 

Malon and Berardi (1987) believe that the person struggling with self-injury “is at high risk to injure but not kill himself or herself… but produce tension relief.” They go on to say that those at risk are those with an inability to cope with increased psychological/physiological tension in a healthy manner, such as feelings of depression, rejection, self-hatred, guilt, and being a member of a dysfunctional family, to name a few.

DEFINING SELF-INJURY

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