SUFFERING IN SILENCE PRESSURES OF YOUTH CAN LEAD TO SELF-MUTILATION, EXPERTS SAY The Fort Worth Star-Telegram Jennifer Radcliff Star-Telegram Staff Writer http://www.psycport.com/news/2001/01/22 This is a very disturbing article about three teenagers who participate in self-mutilation, self-injury or cutting. There are thousands of teenagers who hide scars from self-inflected cuts under their jeans and long sleeve shirts. One of the girls is named Tricia Jeter; she did this as a relief, a sense of control and a way to dull the pain inside. She now knows that the razor blade will not solve her problems. This type of problem usually begins in adolescence, when youngsters deal with feelings of low self-esteem and have problems of expressing themselves. Tricia said this began because her family life was strained. Her father was an alcoholic and would pass out on the floor. Her parents divorced 5 years ago and her mother remarried in 1998. Tricia was never close to her mother who works all the time. She began hurting herself by scratching her arms till they bled. Then she began to use razor blades on the inside of her upper arm. She did this because she needed something else besides scratching. She would hide the marks and when her mom would ask she would make excuses to ease their minds. When her mother found out she was shocked. She thought they had a good relationship. “I guess she didn’t want to tell me,” Mally said. “ I should have known what was going on. I should have been more compassionate.” Another girl by the name of Courtney Spikelmeir, a junior at Lyndon Baines Johnson High School in Austin was also into self-mutilation. She said she did this because she wants to live and this is a coping method. Teens seem to rationalize cutting in several ways. Another girl at Northwood High said she knew that if she did not stop cutting she might accidentally kill herself and she didn’...
