23 August 2006
Dear Sir,
The finding that one in ten teenage girls harms herself each year (Self-harm ‘most pressing health issue for teenage girls’, 23 August) shows yet again that we need to act quickly to understand and deal with the growing wave of self harm among our young people.
Widespread misunderstandings about self-harm continue to exist, and deter many young people from seeking help. The misunderstandings are compounded by a lack of help to enable parents and professionals to deal with it effectively.
Each generation of young people has a different set of problems to cope with. We are currently seeing symptoms of profound distress, mental health problems, isolation and a lack of support networks growing among young people. It is tragic that they are turning to self-harm as a coping mechanism. But they will keep doing so until we address the behaviour, and, most importantly, the underlying problems that cause it.
Celia Richardson
Director of Communications
The Mental Health Foundation
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