Hi Amelia, reading this post was pretty shocking, it’s the first I’ve heard of self-harm as a ‘trend’. I agree with Kabir above, from my perception and understanding, the act of self-harming is a private one, often people who self-harm go to great lengths to hide their scars and can invent enormous lies to explain their injuries. The fact that it’s now being done as a group is very worrying, and you wonder where the responsibility lies ... what gave these young people the idea that self-harm was a ‘glamourous’ thing to do, was it the internet/magazines/TV or word-of-mouth that gave the idea that to ‘fit in’ you have to display these scars.
It reminded me of a news story last year about a schoolboy who had died playing the ‘fainting game’ where you restrict oxygen to your brain by constricting the neck with hands or a tie to get a ‘high’ (similar to inhaling laughing gas which another youngster died of just this week), this game is well-known amongst many youngsters and is said to have an almost ‘cult-like’ status. Although they’re aware of the dangers they still take part, assuming they know when to let go. Are these kids purposefully rebelling, or are they simply doing it because all their friends are, and at what point in the chain can we as adults, healthcare professionals, parents and teachers control these games and put across the real dangers they pose.
