Don't mind me while I puke
May. 27th, 2002 10:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mousmeInflammatory articles like this just make me sick.
Blech.
Why are so many teenage girls cutting themselves?
Luckily there still appear to be some sane people out there too:
Letters
Wrote my own response, hope it'll be published.
I cannot express how disappointed I was upon reading your May 19th article Why are so many teenage girls cutting themselves? I came across the article a few days ago, and my heart soared, as I thought to myself: “Finally, an article which will raise awareness about the issue of self–injury.” Then I saw the words “blood cult” and I realised that once again a journalist had let themself be taken in by all the misconceptions, preconceptions and stereotypes that always seem to accompany self–injury.
Contrary to popular belief, self–injury is not an attention–seeking behaviour, nor is it limited to teenage girls between thirteen and fifteen. It afflicts nearly one percent of the population, both male and female, of all ages. While I am ready to concede that a very small percentage of self–injurers do in fact cut themselves in order to get attention, it remains that these do not represent the majority, nor should they be taken as such.
Most self–injurers keep their behaviour very, very secret. It is their own private way of coping with feelings and emotions that are too overwhelming otherwise. Often they suffer from real illnesses that compound this behaviour: depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, post–traumatic stress disorder, among others. Many were abused, either as children or adults. They have no other way of acknowledging their pain to themselves or the outside world.
It would be a refreshing change for once to see an article in a respectable newspaper that didn’t fuel moral outrage and panic by spreading misinformation. Despite the last–minute attempt at sounding unbiased, this article has likely done more harm than good. Spouting phrases like “blood cult” and “group–led gothic kind of fashion statement” does nothing to raise public awareness. Beginning an article with the description of a graphic, very public display of cutting does nothing except give shock value to the article, which is unworthy of your newspaper.
A ten–minute search on the internet will reveal far more insight and information than that contained in your article, which makes me wonder exactly how much research went into the writing. There exist numerous easy–to–read and and accessible books on the topic, not to mention articles and websites.
In light of this I must ask: What kind of message are you sending to your readers?
Blech.
Why are so many teenage girls cutting themselves?
Luckily there still appear to be some sane people out there too:
Letters
Wrote my own response, hope it'll be published.
I cannot express how disappointed I was upon reading your May 19th article Why are so many teenage girls cutting themselves? I came across the article a few days ago, and my heart soared, as I thought to myself: “Finally, an article which will raise awareness about the issue of self–injury.” Then I saw the words “blood cult” and I realised that once again a journalist had let themself be taken in by all the misconceptions, preconceptions and stereotypes that always seem to accompany self–injury.
Contrary to popular belief, self–injury is not an attention–seeking behaviour, nor is it limited to teenage girls between thirteen and fifteen. It afflicts nearly one percent of the population, both male and female, of all ages. While I am ready to concede that a very small percentage of self–injurers do in fact cut themselves in order to get attention, it remains that these do not represent the majority, nor should they be taken as such.
Most self–injurers keep their behaviour very, very secret. It is their own private way of coping with feelings and emotions that are too overwhelming otherwise. Often they suffer from real illnesses that compound this behaviour: depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, post–traumatic stress disorder, among others. Many were abused, either as children or adults. They have no other way of acknowledging their pain to themselves or the outside world.
It would be a refreshing change for once to see an article in a respectable newspaper that didn’t fuel moral outrage and panic by spreading misinformation. Despite the last–minute attempt at sounding unbiased, this article has likely done more harm than good. Spouting phrases like “blood cult” and “group–led gothic kind of fashion statement” does nothing to raise public awareness. Beginning an article with the description of a graphic, very public display of cutting does nothing except give shock value to the article, which is unworthy of your newspaper.
A ten–minute search on the internet will reveal far more insight and information than that contained in your article, which makes me wonder exactly how much research went into the writing. There exist numerous easy–to–read and and accessible books on the topic, not to mention articles and websites.
In light of this I must ask: What kind of message are you sending to your readers?
