James Donaldson on Mental Health - Recognizing self-harm behaviors among youth

BY Melissa Krull If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or live chat at https://988lifeline.org/ Sometimes the ways people deal with pain are harmful to themselves; that’s according to the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

They say there are more than 616,000 emergency department visits for self-harm injuries each year.

Suicide, they say, is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S.

What You Need To Know Sometimes the ways people deal with pain are harmful to themselves, that’s according to the U.S.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Experts say when a person engages in acts of self-harm, it is often to cope with emotional pain When emotional pain becomes too much, suicidal urges may arise According to the New York State Department of Health’s Community Health Indicator Dashboard, between 2022 and 2023, suicide mortality for youth ages 15 to 19 rose.

The CDC offers suggestions to help handle difficult, common emotions such as deep breathing and writing in a journal when feeling anxious, joining clubs with shared interests to address loneliness, and seeking counseling when experiencing grief.

“I started cutting myself when I was 11," Emily Crumb said.

Crumb said that’s when it all started.

“I remember just being angry, and I felt really isolated, and I felt like there was no outlet," Crumb said.