"Self-harming: 'It's a very lonely experience'" by Joanna Moorhead

     I recently read "Self-harming: 'It's a very lonely experience'" by Joanna Moorhead. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/08/self-harm-anorexia-help) It tells the story of Imogen Smith, who, a few years ago, in her late teens, was hospitalized with anorexia and self-harm. Imogen and her mother, Jane, tell the interviewer how her depression ruined their family life. "I felt angry. I felt caged," she says. "When you've got anorexia you want to exercise a lot and you don't want to eat. In the hospital I wasn't allowed to move at all, and they made me eat. I think part of me just wanted to get back at them for keeping me there," says Imogen.
     When someone cuts, or commits another act of self-harm, there are many consequences. Your scars stay with you for life. Every time you look down at yourself you see the ugly scars of what you've done, and you feel guilty. And if your parents find out, they will lecture you for hours, and if it's really bad, rush you to the emergency room. Your mom will cry and your dad will yell. It's also addictive, like the razor or nail or whatever you use is a drug. Studies show that the more you cut, the more you want to cut. Studies and sources say that "if the individual is upset to a certain extent, only holding a sharp object, feeling pain, or seeing their own blood will calm them down."
     More people cut than you would think. Off the top of my head, I can name four people I know who do it. I beg them to stop, but to my horror and sadness, they grin and say "I can't." These people do not know, or do not want to know, that this can destroy relationships with family and friends.