When you get upset or down, how do you cope with your emotions? Do you cry? Pout? Slam doors? Cut yourself?

 

Stress in your life comes from all directions, school, friends, parents, siblings, communities, television, magazines and more. According to current research, how you deal with those factors and their accompanying emotions is most often a result of how you have seen others, especially family members, deal with them.

 

Some young people come from families that are unable to deal with strong emotions and stress. For these young people, cutting, a form of self-violence, is the way they cope. And it is more common than you might think.

 

Statistics show that an estimated 2 to 3 million Americans self-injure with the largest percentage being women between the ages of 16 and 25 years old. Now, that doesn’t mean they are the only ones in the group.

 

Anyone from any age group, race, gender or social class could be a cutter. Studies show it is difficult to pinpoint what causes someone to develop this problem. But, one common mistake is thinking people who self-harm are doing it to get attention.

 

That does happen, but people who self-injure for attention, generally don’t hide the injury and will often cut themselves in a public place. People who self-injure as a coping mechanism go to great lengths to hide their actions.

 

They will wear long sleeves and jeans in the summer to cover the scars. Or make excuses so they don’t have to change clothes in front of anyone. The point is, they don’t want any one to know what they are doing.

 

You may be friends with someone who had been hurting themselves for a long time and not even know. So, if someone you know tells you they hurt themselves, take the time to listen. This is their way of saying they trust you.

 

Now you know your friend needs help, but what can you do?

1) Let them know you are not judging them.

2) Let them know you are their friend and are there to listen.

3) Encourage them to express their emotions even anger.

4) Offer to go with them to a school or church counselor.

 

Remember, this is not something you or your friend have to do on your own. Try to get your friend to let you talk to an adult you trust. Someone you know won’t be harsh or critical. Let them go with you if they want to. The decision is theirs. However, If you think they are in danger of severely hurting themselves, talk to an adult you trust immediately.