A Step beyond Cutting…

As parents of teens, there are so many things to worry about.  Even when your teen seems to be a happy content teen, you always worry about what they may be doing when you are not around. 

But this takes the worry to a whole new level…

For years, cutting or “self-mutilation” has been a concern for parents. Some teens deal with stress and anger by causing pain to their body.  They will cut themselves with pieces of glass or wire, or whatever else they could get their hands on.  And then they would cover it up by wearing long sleeves..

Well now a new wave or self-torture is on the rise- self-embedding.

Self-embedding is where teens force objects (nails, paper clips, glass, bits of rock) into there skin around their neck, arms, hands, feet and ankles, as a way to cope with disturbing thoughts and feelings.

Interesting  thought from the article
“It is often kept secret, but some studies suggest that 13 to 24 percent of high school students in the U.S. and Canada have practiced deliberate self-injury at least once.” 

 For those of us who need numbers, that’s close to 1 in 4 teens.

Now you may be thinking “that is not as common here in the Columbus, OH area as it is in other places.” Oh, yeah. 
The doctor who published this information is Dr. William Sheilds, the chief of radiology at Nationwide Childrens Hospital…here in Columbus.

So yeah, it’s another issue we are dealing with…