Posted on 07/07/2004 3:49:26 AM PDT by esryle
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It's a disturbing new trend in teens. One in four young girls do something to their bodies called self-mutilation.
In 19-year-old Esther Maassen's case, a razor blade, basically anything sharp is what she would use on her feet.
"Anything sharp so I could see myself bleed," she says.
Why she does it may surprise you.
"A lot of people don't get it. They drink when they get upset or something. We cut."
It's not a suicide attempt but an addiction. Those who do it say it helps to relieve stress.
"It wasn't the children you would suspect," says mom and Jacksonville school teacher, Kathi Wedner. She has seen first hand kids who cut. Wedner saw her own students doing it, but she says she never suspected her own daughter.
"She cut a design into her wrist. It was sadness. It was guilt. It was shock. I wanted very desperately to help her."
Girls are more likely than boys to self-mutilate. Middle to high school aged girls are the most at risk. Duval County school psychologist, Dr. David Chesire, says he's heard of a child as young as six-years-old cutting their body. "It's very secretive and these kids do anything they can to hide the fact they have been engaged in these behaviors and those close to them have no idea it's happening."
It's an addiction that leaves kids with scars from their arms to their chests. It's an addiction Esther Maassen is still fighting. "It's the only thing that sometimes can calm me down and it becomes really addictive and I'm still trapped into it."
Signs parents need to look for: unexplained cuts and scratches that never seem to heal; cuts and scratches paired with signs of depression or low self-esteem; kids who wear long, baggy clothing in the summer to cover up their bodies.
Yes, I remember this from junior high in 1990, also in high school and even people I knew in college. There's nothing new about cutting. Only new awareness and perhaps the Internet has made a few more troubled kids go down that route.
....Fatal Attraction flashback...That's going to leave a mark.
NEXT HEADLINE TO EXPECT:
BOARD APPROVES IN-SCHOOL PSYCHIATRY SERVICES
Coming your way at taxpayer expense, if they haven't already.
And, they will be able to dispense Ritalin and other psychotropic drugs directly to the children - no middlemen(or parents or family doctor) needed!
Yup, I did that too. Then tore out the needles. And the lighting the match and blowing it out and holding it to the back of the hand.
If the trial lawyers ( aka. Edwards ) did not make everything that kids normally do possible litigation material, because they might accidently get injured, they might have some fun doing things outside without the fear of their parents or supervisiors getting sued .
Teenagers are under the stress of having to absorb and believe the official lies told at school, while at the same time, their own experiences are contradicting these lies.
Self-mutilation is part of the attempt to square the circle.
It's a poor substitute for revolution.
Also speaking from experience...went to high school over 20 years ago...this is nothing new. A good book on the subject is called "The Bright Red Scream" by Marilee Strong. Still struggle with this every now and then, but as an adult I understand what brings me to want to do something that most would find repulsive...
Well, George Bush wants school kids to be given a mental health screening:
http://www.dream-tool.net/tools/messageview.mv?view+educationnewsbb+1916+index+0AGFcVFkHV.
My Level 12 Wizard will beat your Level 10 Warrior any day of the week, pal! Even WITH your +4 Cloak of Invisibility!
*slurps Mountain Dew*
*puts retainer back in*
Let'sch rock! Load the dische and roll again, schon! LOL
Rent the movie Thirteen. real, and scary portrayal of what is happening in this culture.
Virtual Mode
It sure does. That same guy also hung out in a cemetary as the "goth's" do.
Good luck to you, EX. I'm just realizing some of the stuff I used to do wasn't exactly normal.
i dont know if i should laugh or cry.
verily thou mock my might wizard!, forsooth
We would actually dress up like our characters. We played every Friday night. We listened to Rush, and could recite every Monty Python movie from beginning to end.
I was 18 before I went on my first date...LOL
And as depressing and laughable as that may seem today...I didn't do drugs, I didn't knock up some girl, I didn't spend any time in jail or juvie hall, and I got decent grades. I was a geek, sure, but an emotionally stable and well-educated geek!
And I could have sworn it was because they were complete morons.
Rush rocks.
D+D couldnt have been that geeky i still remeber role playing stores in the mall. That means someone was playing it.
I blame advancements in computer games that led to the down fall of D+D. Hey hanging out with some friends using your imagination is a little better than staring at a computer screen all night.
dressing up like the characters was a bit much, didnt the tom hanks film "mazes and monsters" teach you anything!!!
Well, they've got that whole Magic: The Gathering thing now...but it's still not the same.
When we were moving a few months ago, I came across my old Monstrous Compendium, Fiend Folio, and Dungeon Masters Guide. I had all kinds of maps and character bios scribbled down on graph paper. Beautiful trip down memory lane...Man...it was a heavy moment.
dressing up like the characters was a bit much, didnt the tom hanks film "mazes and monsters" teach you anything!!!
"Was"? Hark, thou speakest as if ye were in the past-tense! Excelsior, and onward to thine local Renaissance Faire!
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