Depression and Self-Injury: Confrontation

In our world today, there is a growing problem: depression. Often times, teenagers feel moody, thinking it is depression, and end up harming themselves for it. They feel they need to be punished for one thing or another. So what do they do? The marks on the skin can tell the story.

As most people know, this is no laughing matter.

Many people don't understand why someone would want to hurt themselves. It really is a simple question to ask. Really, why would you want to hurt yourself? A lot of the time, people hurting themselves can't answer that question. Many people don't know how to confront this issue, if a friend or peer is harming themselves in whatever way; cutting, burning, punching/hitting self or other objects, picking at a healing wound, bruising or breaking bones, inserting objects into the skin and some forms of hair pulling.

The easiest way, really, to talk to someone about this, isn't saying it straight out. Just letting them know you are there for them says a lot, but you have to mean it. You really do. But if you are truly concerned, you can ask if something is bothering them. Something along the lines of "Is everything okay with you?" You can't be too pressing. Not everyone is comfortable with talking about their personal life. But sometimes things need to be said, and saying that you're there to listen is just as well.

Depression is a mental illness, and it does not simply go away. It takes time, thought, talking, love and a lot of honest conversation. Just talking about the crappy pizza at school is enough to make someone's day better. It shows that you care about them enough to try and at least make a few jokes.

Calling the person "emo" does not help the situation whatsoever. Yes, they are obviously emotional. So help them out. Don't put them down, respect them and stand up for them if someone is giving them grief for how they act, how they dress, why they hurt themselves.

Here are some facts about depression and self-injury:
121 million people worldwide suffer from depression. 18 million of these cases are happening in the United States.
Between 20% and 50% of children and teens struggling with depression have a family history of this struggle and the offspring of depressed parents are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression.
Depression often co-occurs with anxiety disorders and substance abuse, with 30 percent of teens with depression also developing a substance abuse problem.
2/3 of those suffering from depression never seek treatment.
Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers.
Experts estimate that 4% of the population struggle with self-injury. It has the same occurrence between males and females, even though in popular culture it can appear to be more prevalent among girls.
Self-injury is an addiction, just as substance abuse is. (Twloha)

There are problems in this world that need to be faced. We can only help by saying that we can sit here and listen.