Automutilation getting a bigger issue among young people?
By cyberfluf
@cyberfluf (4996)
Netherlands
December 3, 2006 3:29pm CST
I feel like automutilation (hurting/damaging yourself) is becoming a bigger problem in a modern society. More and more young people have big emotional problems they can't express and they take out their anger on their own body and spirit. Making their body hurt helps them forget their spiritual pains for a while. Why is this getting a bigger issue?
It might be because we are living in bigger societies nowadays and we live under bigger and more constant pressure. When we still lived in small villages everyone would know each other and know everything about each other. Now this has a lot of pro's and contra's too, but at least your problems would be out in the open and ready to work on; it's much easier to walk around with a problem without anyone noticing nowadays.
2 responses
@misskatonic (3722)
• United States
3 Dec 06
It's not that it's becoming more prevalent, it's that we're more aware of it these days and realize it's a problem. Automulitation has been going on for centuries. There were entire religious sects devoted to it.
These days, it's harder to hide it. It used to be that injuries could be easily explained away due to the difficulties of life. It gets more attention and parents/counselors/friends know what to look for. The reasons for it have changed, but not so much the prevelance.
I think society needs a lot of changes, and one of them is that kids need more outlets for everything. They need to be presented with positive body images, postive mental images, and there needs to be less pressure on kids to 'fit in'.
@cyberfluf (4996)
• Netherlands
3 Dec 06
I like your response a lot, it makes a lot of common sence.
You are right about the positive images, I think that's one of the most important things to deal with these days. I love the campaign Dove started about 'time for real beauty' (it's a free translation on the slogan in Dutch, I'm not entirely sure how it's called in English).
They have a lot of attention for kids (and young adults) that have a negative image of themselves. Thank you for posting this reply.
@tlex107250 (667)
• United States
3 Dec 06
Personally, I think that younger people feel that they don't have anyone to talk to, or that they are the only ones who have problems. I think that everyone goes through the same problems, no matter what generation they are from. All it takes is talking to an adult, whether it's a parent, relative, or older friend. There is nothing in this world that someone else hasn't gone through before, and found a way of dealing with it.
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