Self-harm is a rising problem
among young people all over and Wayne county NY is not immune. In fact, I
have known a handful of people from Wayne county, in my life, who have suffered
this epidemic. Canandaigua, NY has even implemented some means of prevention in
their schools. They have a prevention specialist who works with middle school
students on issues such as this. The Wayne Post recently had an article
about self-harm that highlighted the stories of many young people and some
adults who had battle this issue. The article points out that self-harm is a
very multidimensional problem that can be driven by a number of different
things. The common thread among the different stories in the article was the
need for control. The article states, "Self-harming
is actually a self-medicating coping mechanism that comes from a normal, good
desire to feel better...For some,
self-injury provides a way to manage intolerable feelings or a way to
experience some sense of feeling, she said. It is also used as means of coping
with anxiety or other negative feelings and to relieve stress or
pressure." This is a very common issue that primary care physicians need
to be equipped to handle. As we learned in our RMED article this week, mental
health knowledge is lacking among primary care physicians, and this is one more
reason that we need to fill in that gap.
http://www.waynepost.com/article/20140216/NEWS/140219706?refresh=true
