twloha

I just got some new coffee--Colombian med. dark roast--and i'm in love with it.

I used to hate coffee, but that has changed and I can almost say that I don't even need silly flavored creamers anymore. That's almost, though. Not quite.

I am writing a research proposal this semester focusing on self-injury in young adults. Yesterday I was working on my literature review and I decided to take a look through my folder of old writings. I wrote a play my junior or senior year of high school that focused on cutting and it was very interesting to read.
I never was a cutter or self-injurer, though I think a lot of people that new me probably would have guessed that I was (let's just say I was very "emo") but I knew a lot of people who were. I had forgotten how interesting and important this topic was to me.
It turns out that it is still very relevant in my life today. At the outreach center, we did a survey last summer and some 40 to 50% of our youth are self-harmers. This is a ridiculously large number and it is a lot different from the population that we were seeing several years ago. Things have changed from a group of kids who harm others as a measure to a group who are completely absolved into the population of self-harmers that our country is filled with today.

So I want to know why. Why hurt yourself instead of someone else? How does this relate to childhood victimization (I suspect that they have a strong relationship)? How does it relate to childhood/adolescent diagnosis of mental illness? What mental illnesses are they being diagnosed with?
There are so many questions. After this semester, I'll have to wait a year or so (until I get into my masters program) and then I'll get to do the research. Can't wait!

While I was in high school, one of my greatest resources when faced with a friend or acquaintance who dealt with self-harm issues was To Write Love On Her Arms.
Very great organization, very important to me.