Title:  Self Harm
Feed: CWKN #443, June 24, 2009
Time: 1:39
SUGGESTED LEAD:  WHY WOULD A CHILD HIT HIMSELF… OR CUT HERSELF… OR TAKE AN OVERDOSE OF DRUGS? EUROPEAN RESEARCHERS FOCUSING ON THESE QUESTIONS NOW REPORT THAT THE ANSWER IS … STRESS.  THE IRONY IS THAT MOST OF THESE KIDS ARE HURTING THEMSELVES AS A WAY OF COPING WITH STRESS.  CONNECT WITH KIDS TAKES A CLOSER LOOK INTO SELF INJURY.
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NARR: 16-YEAR-OLD STEPHANIE SAYS SHE’S ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED FOR LOTS OF REASONS. (:05)

SUPER: Stephanie, 16 years old (:05)
“Getting really nagged by my parents. And I don’t have many friends and I’m lonely a lot.”

NARR:  SO … IN 9TH GRADE SHE BEGAN CUTTING HERSELF … SMALL SURFACE CUTS AT FIRST … USING PINS … (:07)

SOT: Stephanie, 16 years old
“Each time you have to go deeper, to get like more satisfaction I guess.”

NARR:  SHARPENED PENCILS, PAPER CLIPS, KNIVES, EVEN RAZORS … BUT … WHY?  (:05)

SUPER:  Lara Wilson, Counselor (:32)
“By cutting themselves it takes their mind off what they’re struggling with.”

SOT: Stephanie, 16 years old
“The physical pain makes you not think about the emotional pain.”

NARR:  EXPERTS SAY IF A CHILD WEARS SEVERAL BRACELETS, THICK SWEAT BANDS, OR LONG SLEEVES … THOSE ARE WARNING SIGNS…

AND PARENTS NEED TO UNDERSTAND … IT IS A CRY FOR HELP.  (:12)

SOT: Lara Wilson, Counselor
“They want to be the type of parent that the child can say ‘mom, dad, I have this struggle, I have this pain.  I have this problem.  I need to talk to you.”

NARR:  AND THEY MAY ALSO NEED PROFESSIONAL HELP FOR THE UNDERLYING CAUSE OF THE CUTTING.  (:04)

SOT: Lara Wilson, Counselor
“Whether it be depression, obsessive compulsive disorder.”

NARR:  STEPHANIE IS NOW SEEING A COUNSELOR … AND SHE STOPPED CUTTING HERSELF. SHE SAYS SHE WISHES SHE HAD NEVER STARTED. (:07)

SOT: Stephanie, 16 years old
“Because it’s like ruined my body.  I can’t wear like bathing suits… I can’t wear shorts.  Cause I have really big scars on my thighs. It just really messed up my body.  And I wish I hadn’t done that.”

SUGGESTED TAG:  FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS AND OTHER TOPICS, LOG ONTO WWW.CONNECTWITHKIDS.COM.