A 14-year-old girl feels so overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings about her father’s sudden death that she starts to cut her arms with a pair of scissors. Why? Because each cut brings an instant but temporary relief from her heart-shattering grief. It may be difficult to understand, but this teenager’s behaviour is far from unique. More young people than ever before are turning to self-harm: intentionally damaging or injuring their bodies by cutting, burning, strangulation, head-banging, skin-picking, hair-pulling and self-poisoning as a way of dealing with the unique stresses of 21st-century life.
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I text David to tell him I’m so nervous about moving and marrying him that I wake at 4am every day, stomach churning. Even the dogs are still snoring. I’ve never been vulnerable like this with him before. I have always put on a brave face, leaving him to read about my insecurities later. But he surprises me by being incredibly supportive.