Unfortunatly SH has been glamourised by the media, the emo kids do it to prove their issues and rebelion. But it’s addictive as a coping mechanism, and a child that starts it to look cool without any real issues can quickly become a child dependant on it and spiraling.

On the other hand, those that truly have problems and are pleading for help are overlooked, dismissed as ‘attention seekers’ or ’emo kids’ trying to look cool.

I have had an interesting past and experience with self harm and other… dificulties I suppose. It is so important that parents react the right way as well, many parents bury their heads in the sand or put the child down for doing such things, or encourage it thinking they wont take the ‘challenge’.

I was never taught how to cope properly with things, God is helping me now but at the time I needed someone to talk to more than anything else, someone who would listen. So the best advice I can give parents is be open with your children, make sure they feel as if they can talk to you about anything, even if it’s something bad. If you have this opportunity and relationship your child has a much better chance, though it’s never a certainty, of avoiding this problem.

Sometimes even the best of children with the best family relationships still fall into it for many many reasons. At that point all you can do is try to be there, understand, teach them how to cope, and help them find the root of the issue. Sometimes the root will be obvious, like an incident or behaviour, the severity varying. Other times it will be more subtle and the child themselves may not even understand.

I’m glad you’re ready to bring this to the attention of others who may wish to just pretend it dosen’t exist.

Amanda´s last blog post..The Sorrowful Truth