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FEMALE AND MALE YOUTH AND SELF HARM

Tonight on the ABC 7.30 Report a young woman spoke out about her problem with acts of self-harm. She was indeed brave to talk about this emotional obsession that has been with her on a daily basis for some time.

In her youth she was a rising athlete but then body image became a problem and, by the look of her early photographs, she was suffering from Anorexia Nervosa at that time.

This then went on to develop into extensive acts of self harm on a daily basis. She stated that the pain from the self harm was a relief from the emotional trauma she was suffering psychologically. Very often she had to be admitted to hospital for suturing and one time she cut herself to the bone. She has taken a year out from her nursing studies for intensive emotional and psychological support and therapy.

The photographs of the very deep scars all over her legs and arms were indeed very difficult and shocking to see. I was left wondering what the rest of her body would be like. Her name is Nellie and she has not self harmed for two months.

The researcher who is currently studying self harm acts was surprised by the number of youth involved in acts of self harm.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 31, 2012 at 9:56pm

Stephen I have only just tonight had time to watch those videos on the sites you posted. I could see the potential for so many different age groups with emotional distress. I could imagine Tasmania as being the ideal place for such programs for youths because of all the wilderness areas and the rural and remote areas available.

I would like some time to think more about this as I have noticed a farm resort area just outside Launceston that has up large signs with HOPE and similar positive words that may be involved in such a venture.

More research on my part and then I will see...............

Stephen Cox said:

http://www.riversofrecovery.org/

Here Caroline and others a link about a very good project that has potential not just for the Intended vets but misguided youth as well and those suffering issues that eventually spiral down into Depression then self harm and potentially Suicide or turn into abuse in lashing out at others in externalising inner problems.

Especially the last point being more prevalent than people would realise with the youth of today who see little hope for the future,And why would they with Grubs telling them Climate Change will doom us all at young impressionable ages and Gangs of other youth who act and think differently to them they see as disenfranchising them in their own country whether Born and Bred ,White or Colored Australian Youth feels hopeless and betrayed in far too many cases not least by Government.

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on August 31, 2012 at 11:17pm

Caroline in Indian society the Elders are highly revered and their guidence is what makes the tribe function as well in Amerindian society every wontuk is the resonsibility of all the Squaws,just as every Brave is responsible for every young brave it is very much a mentoring Society until the influence of modern Society disrupted things.

Every Child has many Mothers and many Fathers in an Indian tribe

Mentoring is in actual fact a vital aspect of reducing suicide and self harm not just guidence in training in traditional crafts or Vocations,In this regard some of the links such as posted earlier can be viewed equally as well with equivalent primacy on a number of aspects,This interlinking aspect is one area better understood in a Tribal Society than in more modern Societies and in many ways is the missing link that is the causal effect for many of the issues you are so good in bringing to the forfront for discussion.

I would think the closest we experience this side of military service is the local football team or Softball team when it comes to bringing this ancient wisdom into a modern age.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on September 1, 2012 at 10:59am

Stephen the coaching aspect of sport is one of the many qualities that a mentor offers to a mentee. Thank you for the positive reinforcement re the discussion topics that I begin and I think that you are right about the causal effect.

We, today, can learn many lessons from Tribal Societies of the past. It is also of interest that many Tribal Societies revered male homosexuals because they were seen to have both male and females qualities which made them unique in their contribution to Tribal life.

Fond regards

Caroline

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on September 7, 2012 at 10:09pm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-07/police-investigate-baby-genit...

What hope do some children have when recent imports into Australia still consider brutal archaic practices cloaked under either Religion or Ethnicity or Traditional Culture that belong back in the dark ages are still being carried out.

You may get away with such practices in a culture where it is commonplace and the child grows up considering themselves 'Normal" but when living in a hopefully more enlightened Society where so many of differeing Cultural and Ethnic backgrounds consider equally such practices barbaric then it will have an adverse psychological effect down the road on the poor child victim.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on September 7, 2012 at 11:09pm

Stephen it is a very barbaric practice and the reasons behind the practice are also unacceptable. What is unfortunate is the fact that it is the women themselves, who are so brain-washed about the need for such mutilation, that support and reinforce and perpetuate this practice.

Your comments above have commenced me pondering on the following:

We have written about our Australian youth and the pressures they face:

1) growing up in a nuclear family (sometimes without much contact with significant other family relations because of geographical restrictions);

2) making the change from reliance on family relationships as the main influence in their lives to building relationahips with their peers;

3) societal pressures, either perceived of real, to compete and achieve their dreams;

4) negative attitudes about politics, politicians, the environmental;

5) the technological revolution and its unintended consequences;

6) conforming to social and/or religious ideals;

7) the availability of dangerous substances some of which are part of the Australian psyche, just to name a few.

But what would it be like to be different either from congenital causes, colour of skin, different religious beliefs to name a few.

Would these teenagers have more pressure making the transition from family supportive relations to peer supportive relationships? Is this why people from different races and religious affiliations who live in Australia built their own schools and places of worship so that teenagers are less conflicted because they have supportive peer relationships with those that dress in a similar manner and worship in a similar manner? Some questions to ponder on while you are having a shower, hanging out the washing, cutting the lawn, doing the gardening.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on October 5, 2012 at 10:59am

As suicide is the ultimate form of self harm I have found some interesting information from our state of Tasmania:

New plan in suicide fight

By ROSEMARY BOLGER

July 29, 2012, 10:16 p.m.

...TASMANIA is rolling out a grassroots approach to suicide prevention, as the latest data shows the state has the second highest rate of suicide in the country.

The state government has hired Relationships Australia to identify a series of ``communities'' around the state and assist them to each develop a tailored action plan to tackle suicide.

Statewide and Mental Health Services acting chief executive officer Nick Goddard said a community was not necessarily defined by geography, but any group with potential to reduce the prevalence and harm of suicide such as the GLBTI (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex) community or the Tasmanian media...

http://www.examiner.com.au/story/150262/new-plan-in-suicide-fight/

I have previously spoken about a property in the Launceston area which is involved in suicide prevention. As we drove past yesterday the notice at the gate had the word "Help Fight Suicide" on it. Unfortunately I have yet to locate any further information on the work that occurs there. I will keep looking and keep readers informed of my progress.

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on October 6, 2012 at 11:36pm

Caroline the best plan to prevent Suicide is to roll the Corrupt and treacherous Mongrels who have so destroyed Australia that young people believe they have no future,Trying to stop youth suicide is trying to fix the result and ignoring the cause.

Corrupt Government,Banks and the Real Estate Industry that have so inflated Values of Property in Australia as to all but make it unaffordable for the younger generation to aspire to home ownership.

This comes out in a number of ways,The increasing age of Children still living at home and using their money to Buy Comfort purchases such as New cars,Iphones and Booze and Drugs as they Party to try and escape a world where they see little future for themselves.

Increasing youth unemployment and as well senior unemployment that seeps into the mind leading to depression and then the self harm that often follows,Jobs going overseas multitudes of Business many established for decades or generations gone to the wall as a direct result of deliberate Government policy to destroy a First World economy.

Media and the Music Industry that peddle lack of Morals and negative destructive outlooks,Political parties and the various organs of the UN hell bent on the destruction of Family and family values and hence loss of a vital support system.

We do not need such support systems as you note above as we once had them but deliberate actions have been in play to destroy exactly that support system,It was of course the Family.

That is the problem we need to address all else is just the results of that situation the answer to many of Societies ills lies in what we once had that sucessive Governments and NGO's have been eroding and deliberately destroying.When we recognise that and then take back control of our lives in those areas we fix the Problems they have orchestrated such as Drug Abuse,Crime,Suicide etc.