s/o of recently discovered

allobosc

So, in my socy class we were discussing self-injury and suicide.  I have known that "cutting" existed, but no where near the numbers to what I found out last week.  Sadly most of it seemed to take place in middle school too.

I understand why they do it, and not to sound like an old fart, but "back in my day" I don't think anyone ever cut.  I knew lots of messed up kids that made poor choices, or had eating disorders but never cut themselves.  Is this just a new trend or was I oblivious to it all when in HS/MS (mid-late 90s)?

I had one class look at me with a blank stare and ask "If you didn't cut yourself, what did you do? (to handle/release pressure"   I froze just saddened that so many of them thought this was their only choice of how to cope with things.

houndbaby

Maybe when we were in MS/HS people just did a better job of hiding it, I don't think it's anything new. I only knew two people in HS who were cutters and they both did a really good job covering it up by always wearing long sleeves, I don't even think their parents had a clue. Maybe since the whole Emo thing has become popular it's more acceptable than it was 10 years amongst HS students.

MonkeySender

I graduated in 01 and I know there were people that did it then, but not in the numbers they do now...

nyrek

I'm 35 and yes, people did this even in the 80's and 90's.  But when it was discovered back then, they were institutionalized and/or heavily medicated, so it was something you would not readily talk about or admit to.

More and more studies on it have led them to discover that it can usually be treated with psychotherapy and counseling...and because we aren't locking kids up for this anymore...it is becoming more open and, as sad as it is to say, almost accepted that kids just do this.

 

nightmare_of_beauty

I graduated in 05 and I know kids were not only cutting themselves as a release of stress, they were making designs out of it. Kind of like a tattoo.