Figures released today show a rise of more than 50% in the numbers of young people being admitted to hospitals in England as a result of self harming.

The reasons why people self harm are varied. One of the disturbing factors within this is the rise in ‘copycat’ activities. People look for role models in any sphere of activity, not only positive but also negative models. With the advent of easily accessible media self harmers are able to not only discuss openly and make suggestions but also place videos of themselves cutting and harming their own bodies in the public domain.

A world that seems distant, a sense of no agency or control over events seems to be dissipated in some way by bringing about injury to self. The victims of this self destructive behaviour speak of a sense of instant gratification and temporary easing of the stress and pressure that they feel under. There are others more qualified than this writer to comment and discuss the actual phenomena but it is the causes that are pertinent here.

We have tacitly endorsed a culture that leaves vast numbers of its young people particularly feeling disenfranchised. They look into a world and do not see a mirror image of themselves reflected back. What they are feeling, what their concerns are, do not find a forum in mainstream culture. Subsequently they develop a culture of their own that in some way expresses the dissatisfaction they feel with a world they did not make and have found themselves a part of.

Invariably this leads them away from the richness of what life is and the enormous possibility that their being born represents. I have written about my own experiences when I was younger and a part of the counter culture, seeing people I’d grown up with descend into substance abuse and in some instances take their own lives. Even those who did not pay the ultimate price have had to endure the consequences of poor choices made in those vulnerable stages. Many years later, from the perspective of being older and hopefully more sagacious I survey a scene of such wasted opportunity. Young people that I knew who are no longer here, victims of an unenlightened schism and a culture too concerned with its own veneer to read the runes of what was, and evidently still is, going on beneath the surface.

The sense of agency within one’s own life and the sense of being empowered are so crucial to development. This is something that, like brain cells, does not stop emerging and reforming throughout our lives. Our lives are constantly expanding into new domains and our experiences are being continually redefined. The degree of articulation that any of us has within those experiences is defined by the quality of our education, what we are exposed to in a positive sense that influences the way we assemble our own minds. When that sense of agency or efficacy is removed it is a short journey to feelings of anxiety, worry and being lost within an uncaring domain.

The people who I would like to read this will probably never read it, locked as they are into a cycle of harm and a bleak road ahead. My concern is for those whose best interpretation of the life that they have is to set their feet upon that particular path when other more rewarding options exist. We must all shoulder some of the responsibility for this state of affairs, these are our children and this is the perception we have allowed to form that the world is an alienating, harsh and unforgiving environment. We create our own subjective reality, so for these young people engaged in self harm what they are experiencing is utterly real for them.

Evidently life is not meant to be without its adversities. Were this not so, our bodies would not have the capacity to heal and the automatic systems not have the capacity to generate scar tissue. Our bodies are designed to accommodate wear and tear. That makes us stronger, better informed people, more capable of dealing with opposition and resistance when we encounter it. My complaint is that we are creating scenarios that we then place young and unformed people into. This can only be because they have been inadequately prepared for the road ahead. If you read this and you are responsible, you will ensure that all of those in your sphere of influence know that there is a magnificence that is their birthright before schisms, distortions and parasitic mindsets are able to establish themselves within the young person’s assembly. Once locked into this cycle its orbit strays far out from the source and this is when the risks are heightened; prevention is the most eloquent act of care we can demonstrate, whether we are parents, colleagues, carers, mentors, family members, friends or otherwise. Crucially the art is to create a landscape of alternative options whose outcomes are not so chaotic or damaging. This involves inclusion, empathy, progression, discernable strategies with achievable objectives and a sense for the individual of having agency and dominion within their own affairs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/health/newsid_8563000/8563670.stm