Self Inflicted

Gr 7 Up—Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a condition that hides in plain sight and a topic that has essentially been ignored. As many as 20 percent of young people and many adults practice self-injury while keeping it under the radar. This involves cutting, burning, punching, biting oneself, and more. Most practitioners hide the cuts, burns, and bruises under clothing. This video features several young people and one 42-year-old woman who were drawn to self-harm because it was a choice that they felt they could control. In addition, it relieved anxiety. Frustrated family members testify that they didn't understand the behavior and didn't know how to help. Expert witnesses including Mitch Prinstein, professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and James Whitlock, a self-injury and recovery researcher at Cornell University, agree that there is no formula for treating this condition, except for providing support and understanding to sufferers. The resource book within the DVD includes student activities such as "Don't Repress—Express!" Fact sheets offer signs, types, dangers, and myths, as well as lists of what to do and what not to do if viewers know someone who self-injures.