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Film documents self injury issues

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Also by Johanna Lurvey:

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by Johanna Lurvey

Monday, February 18, 2008

If you conduct a Google search on “Why people cut themselves,” over 3 million results appear. Yet the issue of self-mutilation — defined as intentionally cutting, burning, biting or in some other way harming oneself — is tiptoed around in health classes and everyday conversation, as people choose to ignore the issue that almost 3 million Americans struggle with.

Wendy Schneider, a New York native who currently lives in Madison, will be holding a screening of her documentary, “CUT: Teens and Self Injury,” in the Memorial Union next week in an attempt to address this serious issue.

Through “CUT,” director Schneider hopes to raise awareness about the misunderstood and rarely discussed self-mutilation issues. Teens at all stages of self-mutilation and of recovery, parents, counselors and even Shirley Manson, rock icon and frontwoman of the alternative band Garbage, were interviewed for the documentary, recalling their emotions, fears and feelings associated with self-injury.

“As I began to research the topic for the film, I didn’t feel like there was enough information out there that was really based on the experience of a teen,” Schneider said in an interview with The Badger Herald. She found that the information available “was based on the diagnosis of a teen, or the treatment of a teen, but the stories of teens [struggling with self-injury] were not being shared.”

Schneider felt those stories needed to be heard because of the considerable number of young adults who report to have purposefully harmed themselves. According to a 2006 study by Janis Whitlock, a research scientist and lecturer at Cornell University, almost one in five Cornell and Princeton students have engaged in self-mutilation.
“It’s very prevalent for being portrayed as something that’s got this veil of darkness over it,” Schneider said. “I think that [the misinformation] is helping to perpetuate an enormous amount of fear and isolation on the part of individuals who might be struggling.”

Although studies have been done, the reason why teens engage in self-mutilation remains a mystery. “CUT” does not attempt to solve the problem, though Schneider, along with other researchers and scholars, recognizes a communal trend.

“I think if you were to just really reduce it down, [it is] a coping mechanism or a way to regulate feelings that are uncomfortable,” Schneider said. “I think that it’s really not for me to say why a person is choosing to do this, but … if you don’t have any other skills or you don’t know how else to cope, you’re finding a way to cope.”

“CUT” both conveys that self-injuring individuals are not alone and offers advice to help others support people who injure themselves. Schneider noted that individuals who self-injure are often stereotyped, and through “CUT,” she attempts to break down the preconceptions many have about that surprisingly diverse group of people. She credits this misinterpretation to “mainstream media, putting out an image of a child that struggles as one that’s very dark, that’s very goth, that’s very emo.” Schneider explained, “This is about getting to know somebody that is struggling, and getting to hear their perspective, and hear their terms, and their reality; that’s what’s important.”

Interspersed with the testimonies of people directly affected by self-injuries are pieces of visual art and poetry created by individuals battling their own tendencies to self-mutilate. Schneider explained that art is one of many other ways to cope with the stress young people are placed under. “That’s a really important voice, that artistic voice that I feel like young people are using to try and define their lives, and it can be an alternative to self-injury,” Schneider said.

Shirley Manson even gave a candid testimonial about her own struggles with self-injury. “I think one of the reasons it’s prevalent with women is because the way our culture is at present, it’s really unacceptable for girls to be violent,” Manson says in the documentary.

Schneider said she knew Manson prior to filming and thought her testimonial would be valuable for the documentary.

“[Manson] was very considerate of this project,” Schneider said. “She was very deliberate in how she approached it; I feel that her level of cooperation was just very sincere and very forthright.”

Through authentic narratives and art, “CUT” attempts to break down the prevailing misconceptions surrounding individuals who harm themselves in order to give them the care they need.

“The less punitive response or judgmental responses that we have, and the more compassion that we can drive towards this issue, the more individuals are going to see help and support,” Schneider said.

Check Cutthemovie.com for information regarding the screening of “CUT: Teens and Self Injury.”

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Anonymous (February 19, 2008 @ 5:57am):

People who self-injure would prefer that the term 'self-mutilation' was not used, and should be reserved for more serious types of self-harm generally associated with psychosis such as self-castration.

Robert Wrynn (March 1, 2008 @ 6:40pm):

Finally , the project's finished. Look forward to viewing it.
I have known several women and 1 really dangerous young man that have confided their cutting to me , in the confines of AA and other 12 step groups . The drug and alcohol abuse , of course , fueled the persons emotional baggage and the decision to cut oneself , but I noticed enough of these women had a desire to be accepted by the guys at school , had deep body dysmorphia issues and emotional distance from their parents . Many of the younger women's parents were still together (most described the parents as unhappily married), perhaps this was just coincidence . I do live in Southern California where the divorce rate is high , and was surprised to learn that most of these are women extremely bright , attentive listeners and really not Alcoholics or addicts per se .
All of the individuals mentioned , sought me out after speaking to groups about my addictions and recovery. Their queries ranged from my adolescence in Reform School and late teen years , hanging around the Bowery punk scene of the late 70's ,fighting , struggles with the law , incarceration and poverty.
All topics touched upon in my little tale of woe and eventual recovery.
Cutters are a small niche , in my little corner of the world , and most of the aforementioned have sought group therapy , per my insistence and psychotherapy (reluctantly).
The young man I mentioned earlier , a self-described Anarchist/Punk did become a full blown Alcoholic and his cutting did become more of a public spectacle over time. Wish I could have helped him more at the time , because when he'd straighten out for a rare brief period I could see the longing to be normal in him. We always seemed to connect , regardless of the state he was in.
Although I'm not a treatment professional , I have been a card carrying AA member since 1988 and my only aim is to be helpful.
To discuss this problem further , please post in the Recovery Zone Forum or ask Dan to forward email comments to Bob W.
Our email is addict@recoveryzone.org

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