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Did You Know? March 4, 2011

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 18.1% of adults and 25.1% of children and adolescents in the United States suffer from anxiety disorders. anxiety is stressful, and keeps you from being yourself. When left untreated, anxiety can dominate your thoughts, actions, and emotions, leaving you trapped and unable to do the things that bring you joy.

anxiety can be debilitating to the person experiencing it. If you or a loved one is struggling with anxiety, there is help available. psychotherapy has been proven extremely effective in the treatment of anxiety and panic disorders. Contact us at (516) 221-9494 to learn more.

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YouTube is best known as a center of procrastination on the internet, filled with amusing montages, clips from television shows, or music videos. However, a recent study published in Pediatrics has revealed a disturbing trend: users are now posting videos of self-injury. [Read more about it here.] According to the study, the top 100 videos of self-injury had more than 2.3 million views, reflecting a troubling new way technology is affecting mental health.

The researchers involved in the study state that between 14 and 24 percent of teens and young adults have engaged in self-injuring behavior. Self-injury - or self-mutilation, as it is often called - can manifest as burning, excessive scab-picking, hitting, or cutting. The behavior is not considered to be suicidal, but rather an attempt by the self-injurer to cope with extreme anger, depression, hopelessness, grief, and sorrow. Videos such as those on YouTube can be extremely triggering to active or recovering self-injurers. 

Self-injury, like any self-destructive behavior, can be a difficult habit to break. If you or someone you care about is self-injuring, there is hope. Contact our client care consultants at (516) 221-9494 for more information about taking those first steps toward ending the cycle.