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Loading... A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain (edition 1999)by Marilee Strong
Work InformationA Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain by Marilee Strong
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. I wish that more people had the opportunity to read this book. As a person who is very familiar with self-harm, I found myself understanding the mindset behind many of the stories in this book. This is an issue that is often not discussed as much as it should be due to its taboo nature, but it is something that really should be discussed as much as possible. Many thanks go to the author who is able to bring light to a very bleak subject. ( ) This is a must read if you know someone you care about that's a self-mutiliator. Our society is so quick to judge others by their actions, particularly if considered "abnormal". This book puts you into the mind of those with this issue. Non-judgemental understanding is the goal of the book and it succeeds in bringing the reader there. This is an interesting but ultimately flawed look at the phenomenon of self-mutilation as it relates to mental illness. Self-mutilation can take many forms, but the most common seem to be self-inflicted cutting and burning. It's not undertaken with an intent to commit suicide; instead, many people who cut or otherwise injure themselves believe it is one of the things that prevents them from committing suicide. There aren't that many books for the layperson on this issue, despite increased exposure in the media. This book, by a journalist, pretty much falls under the "good start" category. My biggest problem with it is that at the outset, Strong mentions that the majority of people who self-injure are women who have been sexually abused, but that a sizable minority don't fit that category. She then proceeds to completely ignore self-injury in people who have NOT been sexually abused for the rest of the book. Almost all of the theories she discusses involve PTSD and dissociative disorder brought on by sexual trauma, and she seems to have disregarded any case history that did not fit this paradigm. This ended up frustrating me a lot, and also made me wonder what other inconvenient theories and case histories she'd disregarded in favor of a tidier narrative. no reviews | add a review
Psychology.
Self-Improvement.
Nonfiction.
HTML:"I highly recommend [A Bright Red Scream], because itā??s beautifully written and . . . so candid.ā? ā??Amy Adams, star of HBO's Sharp Objects in Entertainment Weekly Self-mutilation is a behavior so shocking that it is almost never discussed. Yet estimates are that upwards of eight million Americans are chronic self-injurers. They are people who use knives, razor blades, or broken glass to cut themselves. Their numbers include the actor Johnny Depp, Girl Interrupted author Susanna Kaysen, and the late Princess Diana. Mistakenly viewed as suicide attempts or senseless masochismā??even by many health professionalsā??"cutting" is actually a complex means of coping with emotional pain. Marilee Strong explores this hidden epidemic through case studies, startling new research from psychologists, trauma experts, and neuroscientists, and the heartbreaking insights of cutters themselvesā??who range from troubled teenagers to middle-age professionals to grandparents. Strong explains what factors lead to self-mutilation, why cutting helps people manage overwhelming fear and anxiety, and how cutters can heal both their internal and external wounds and break the self-destructive cycle. A Bright Red Scream is a groundbreaking, essential resource for victims of self-mutilation, their families, teachers, doctor No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)616.8582Technology Medicine and health Diseases Diseases of nervous system and mental disorders Miscellaneous Personality, sexual, gender-identity, impulse-control, factitious, developmental, learning disorders; violent behavior; mental retardation Antisocial personality disorders, family violence and abuseLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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