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There are some very self-absorbed navel contemplating letters about this immensely tedious burdensome problem. To anyone who doesn't live in the world of Hollyoaks the absurdity of the statement that there is a stigma attached to self-harming behaviour will be readily apparent. For most of my clients its a form of manipulation which I gave up humouring some time ago; surprise surprise, most of them stop the practice. As for those angst-ridden celebrities, the phrase 'self-harm chic' springs to mind, and more shrewd observers will realise that their intervention merely lends status to this particularly narcissistic form of behaviour (and make no mistake this is learned behaviour). Much self-harm is pretty bland immature stuff, and more to the point it is not in itself a mental health problem, but I have seen many young men turned into 'lifelong clients' by overzealous carers/support workers.
Fergus Downie, UK
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I disagree that the 'stigma' surrounding self-harm should remain (Self-harm: cut it out). People who self-harm often do not tell anyone and due to stigma and low self-esteem are unlikely to seek help. Also because of the stigma and lack of information about self-mutilation, people who use this as a method of coping often receive treatment from hospital staff that can actually make their lives worse.
If hospital staff tell a patient to stop cutting straight away this could be a very dangerous or even fatal move as they are being forced to give up such a critical coping mechanism. Also with regards to the Hollyoaks scenario, it is showing people who self-harm that they can get over it. Celebrities who confess to self-harming are showing others that they are not alone and that there are people out there who understand what they are going through. When Princess Diana told of her self-harming experience other self-harmers where able to identify with her. People need people to get over difficulties.
Zoe Louise Warren, UK
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None of the letters below addresses the real issue involved - that of government coercion against people who decide to cut themselves (letters, below; Kelly Holmes: No prizes for confessing, 2 June; Self-harm: cut it out, 5 August 2004).
Until this occurs, all debate on the issue is pointless.
Steven Montgomery, UK
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I completely disagree with most of Josie Appleton's article (Self-harm: cut it out, 5 August 2004).
When psychiatrists say that they respect people's choice to self harm, what else are they meant to say? That they're going to guard you 24/7, and make sure that you're never around sharp objects? It isn't possible. You can't force someone to stop. It's like going up to a heroin addict, and saying: 'Right, from now on, you aren't allowed heroin.' If they want it, they'll have it. It's as simple as that. Appleton makes self harm sound all bad, but if she hasn't tried it, she'll never understand. It's a coping mechanism - maybe not the best one, but it's better than taking out my anger on other people, or getting hooked on drugs. It's my coping mechanism, and it's my body. It's not up to Appleton to voice an opinion on something she doesn't understand.
Sophie Hamish, UK
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Educating people about self-harm is a good thing (Kelly Holmes: No prizes for confessing, 2 June; Self-harm: cut it out, 5 August 2004).
If people don't understand why certain people self-harm, then they might ostracise a friend they find out has been self-harming, which is likely to make that friend self-harm even more. If doctors and nurses aren't sympathetic and understanding, then someone who has self-harmed may feel that they shouldn't go back if they do it again, and cuts could become infected. I don't believe that people should glorify self-harm, since there is nothing glamorous about it. However, certain organisations, such as the National Self Harm Network, do help people so that they don't feel so alone and different.
Most people who self-harm have either anger management issues, or depression, and they need to learn new ways of coping with what triggers them. I think it's much better to educate people, and to have a few more people safely self-harm; than not to educate people and to brush it under the mat, so that people feel outcast and are pushed to an unbearable point.
Alice Smith, UK
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I wonder whether Josie Appleton has any qualifications that enable her to make such profound judgements about a situation that she has obviously not experienced (Self-harm: cut it out, 5 August 2004).
Surely, the 'sanction' that medical and political authorities give to the actions of self-harmers is no different to the attitude that these authorities have toward people who drink or smoke? Surely, Appleton isn't claiming that because the eventual downfall of people who drink and smoke doesn't happen instantaneously, they are more acceptable? She claims that 'self-harm needs to keep its "stigma"', and that 'social criticism' could be part of the treatment. Often, it is the very stigma of a condition that causes the problems.
Kerry-Jane Wells, UK
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It is obvious that Josie Appleton has neither had to deal with, nor fully understands, the issue of self-harm (Self-harm: cut it out, 5 August 2004).
As someone who has experienced the effects of self-harm, I was insulted by Appleton's article. She writes of upholding the stigma surrounding self-harm, when it's this stigma that prevents people from talking about self-harm. Most people who self-harm do it because it's their coping mechanism. Claims that it's a teenage phase are unfounded.
Hannah Cleasby, UK
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Josie Appleton argues that the stigma of self injury will contain this modern-day plague on youth (Self-harm: cut it out, 5 August 2004).
But as a self-injuring teenager, I see exactly the opposite happening. Because of the stigma associated with self-injury, my parents treat all discussions on the topic with disgust. I am afraid to come out and admit my problem to them, for fear that they will lock me away in a padded room. The same goes for many others who struggle with this problem. Feeling that we are incapable of talking about or getting help with our problems, and being degraded by society's opinion of us, only leads to more self-hatred and eventually self-injury.
The stigma of society is part of a vicious cycle experienced by injurers. Granted, some teens try self-harm because of their peers, or because it's being talked about so much. But I do not believe that they are the majority. Ignoring and punishing people with a problem can't fix it. Instead, we need to educate the public, educate the doctors, counsellors, therapists, parents, and teens. We need to make people understand what this is, and work together, to help heal these wounds.
Kathryn Smith, USA
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