Self-injury Social Issue

Dear Editor,
Last week, I read an interesting article written by Theodore Beauchaine on February 1, 2010 titled, “Some kids hurt themselves to feel better” This article was stating that tweens, teens, and young adults physically harming themselves is becoming a social issue, and I definitely agree and have many good reasons to back up my opinion that it is an issue.

First of all, Self-injury Syndrome is when a human physically harms themselves to feel better or for other reasons. Cutting is one of the most popular ways, especially in girls, but there are many other ways it is done such as burning, drowning, hanging, suffocating, over dosing, and shooting. Would you really want to see your child or your best friend burn themselves with a BIC lighter or cut their wrists with a razor-blade? I think not. What is done for kids that DO hurt themselves? Sure, they put them into therapy, but some cases never get better. I believe that could be one reason that it is a social issue.

Another reason is that if teens have Self-injury Syndrome, they usually won’t listen to their parents frantically telling them to stop, because parents could be the cause or the teenager just doesn’t care about their parents opinion. They usually will just say, “Sure, yeah, whatever” but keep using or whatever it is they’re doing. They usually don’t like being told what to do by their parents, and might not even listen to their friends. It’s hard to stop once you know the adrenaline rush addiction has. They could never stop. Which also proves it’s a social issue, and that it definitely could be addressed to try to help stop it.

Finally, this mental state isn’t only physically scarring, but it will scar you mentally also. For life. Hurting yourself doesn’t do good things for your character. In the article, it told of one girl who cut her wrists when she was anxious. Sure, the bleeding will eventually stop and you may also eventually stop hurting yourself, but that will also always be a part of you. Those scars will be there for the rest of your life reminding you of your horrid past. That is a major issue, losing self esteem, and it takes a while to get back.

These are just some of my reasons that show that Self-injury is a major social issue, and I will stand by my opinion until the very end. It hurts, and nobody can change that. This is why I believe it is a major social issue. I believe we can make a difference in this, and we can do it if we all have any support at all. Will you support this cause, making the world a nicer place? Will you take action? Thanks for hearing me out, and please put in some consideration.

Sincerely,
Hannah Craig
Hancock Grammar School