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Is Teen Counseling a Good Idea?

Nearly one in three teens will experience a major form of anxiety and/or depression this year. With teen suicide at epidemic levels, we as parents must peel away the layers of moodiness and irritability to find out whether our teens are experiencing one-time issues or if something chronic developing.  We can’t be wrong in paying more […]

Why do people cut themselves? Understanding teen self-harm

Self-harm can cover a range of things that people do to themselves in a deliberate and harmful way. Although cutting is the most common form of self- harm, other methods include head banging, hair pulling, burning and scalding, biting, scratching, stabbing, breaking bones, swallowing objects, self-poisoning and overdosing. By injuring themselves, children and young people are asserting a form of self- control on their life which they feel is otherwise chaotic and meaningless. Self-harm is a way of coping and of channelling frustration and other strong emotions. In the vast majority of cases, it is not a suicide attempt, but rather a way to let off steam.

Many teens struggle with anxiety and depression.  Some turn to self-harm to deal with their intense feelings. Self-harm and self-injury describe a group of behaviors in which you deliberately hurt yourself — not as a suicide attempt, but as a way to release painful emotions.  Cutting is one of the most common ways that teens […]