In a recent report from Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University, researchers describe a dramatic rise in social media posts, particularly on Twitter, related to self-harm. Among the disturbing statistics in the report is that since October 2021, hashtags related to self-harm such as #shtwt,” which is short for “self-harm Twitter,” have increased roughly 500 percent, and the number
Read moreEveryone needs a way to cope with their emotions when we face very difficult feelings, painful memories, or overwhelming situations. Hopefully, we find healthy coping skills, but sometimes, we turn towards more destructive methods to manage our feelings, such as substance abuse, promiscuity, overeating, or other damaging behaviors. For some people, when their emotions feel out of control, they turn
Read moreLast year, popular teen singer and actress, Demi Lovato, then just 18, admitted she has wrestled with cutting since she was 11 years old. “It was a way of expressing my shame on my body,” she told “20/20,” ABC’s newsmagazine. “There were times where my emotions were just so built up, I didn’t know what to do. [Cutting was] the
Read more