Author(s): Marilee Strong

Self-Harm

A Bright Red Scream is a compelling investigation of why so many people deliberately hurt themselves and what can be done to help them. It continues to be practised mainly by middle-class women who start in their teens and self-harm throughout their lives. Most cutters are women who have been emotionally, sexually, or physically abused as children, but Strong's research shows that self-mutilation appears in other groups. There are powerful first-person stories, in which cutters describe their ritualistic methods and somewhat addictive cravings for seeing their own blood. Though research is in its infancy, therapists say there are now promising treatments - from medication to intensive psychotherapy - for the millions of 'cutters'. Strong reveals what the afflicted and those close to them can do to start a process of healing. "Compelling reading about the psychology of self-harm, A Bright Red Scream demystifies forms of behaviour, where an individual is compelled to cut and injure themselves... The disturbing material in this book is sensitively handled" -- Big Issue