tonight i watched Intervention on a&e. and i got so angry.
NOT at the person who was being intervened like i usually do,
but at their family. this woman was really and truly hurting, and reacting
to the things that had happened to her that her family had ignored.
she wasn't being interventioned because she did drugs,
it wasn't really about drinking either. she was a self mutilator and
an anorexic. she had no one to turn to. her sisters had abandoned her,
her mother was oblivious, and her father felt that every single thing she did
was a call for attention. and, she admitted, a lot of it was. but not all of it.
people who have these problems have real pain. having been a victim
of self mutilation, and a slight eating disorder [i do not claim to have ever had anorexia, bulimia, etc... just some very very poor body image that got out of hand], i know that this woman
really did do these things for more than attention. to someone who cuts and self mutilates,
it does make you think you feel better. all of the hurt and anger is pent up, you cut, and you feel a releasing, calming sensation. but obviously, this is not normal. it's a huge problem that is rooted partly in the need for attention, and partly in the need for that feeling of release. i can become an addiction, i would know. instead of dismissing her, her family should have been there for her when this all started.
her father had refused to get her help when she started eating less and less at 13. same for her cutting. at the time of the show taping, she was 25. 12 years had lapsed where her family could have helped her. and she may have never have gotten to this point.

much of this stemmed from when she was 8, and was molested. she never felt comfortable enough to tell her family. if they had gotten her help for her problems, they may have realized that this was the root through therapy etc.

when someone is cutting themselves, or burning themselves, or restricting their food in an abnormal manner, there is something wrong. yes, it is a cry for help. yes they need you. as someone who has been through a lot of situations in her life, i know that we all need to stick together and help each other. don't dismiss, listen. it's the least you could do. and encourage them to get professional help.