Self-Harm: (Teen Issues)

Everyone faces troubles and challenges in their life - and self-harm is the way some people try to cope with the pressures. But what can trigger this way of dealing with painful feelings? And what are the alternatives? This book looks at the experiences of young people, shows how to reduce the risk and find support - and explodes some myths along the way.

About the Author :
Cath Senker has over twenty years' experience in children's educational publishing and has written around 100 books for children for a range of publishers. Her books include highly regarded titles on Anne Frank, the Black Death and the Vietnam War, books on religions and the conflict between North and South Korea, and forthcoming titles on Self-Harm and Relationships. She lives the green lifestyle and has undertaken voluntary work for a range of organizations.

Review :
These series titles focus on challenging issues, examining what they are, why they are happening, and what can be done about them. The books debunk myths such as bullying is kids' stuff, gangs are rich, and self-harm is an attempt at suicide. Each well-written title provides a wealth of information in its brief number of pages, accented with quality illustrations and captioned photographs. Colorful sidebars showcase supplementary content including real-life stories, quotes from young people and experts, questions to think about, facts and other statistics, and true-or-false questions. Each book gives advice on finding, evaluating, and organizing research. In personal accounts, teens share their feelings and discuss how to overcome their difficulties or how to cope. Students see the complicated motivations behind the behaviors and why there is not always a quick and easy solution. The books do a good job of balancing serious and painful experiences with optimistic points, demonstrating that things can change and that help is available. These excellent titles are informative and valuable resources for debates, discussions, research, or personal needs. The authors are sensitive to the fact that readers could be experiencing these situations and emotions firsthand.-- "School Library Journal" 5Q-Highest Rating! Bullying provides a concise storehouse of current research available in a readable and easily understood format. The three roles in a bullying situation--the bully, the target, and the witness--are clearly defined. Targeted students are most often different in some way; they look, sound, or act differently. Bullies focus on that difference to secure their notoriety. Most often witnesses support the bullying by their silence or laughter. All three will be affected by the event, some for many years after. In Self-Harm, Senker dispels many of the myths around self-harm, cutting, scratching, burning, or pulling out hair; these are not steps toward suicide or attention-seeking behaviors. These behaviors help the individual cope with trauma and often enable the person to survive until healthier coping skills are learned; sexual abuse is one trigger, bullying another, but there are many others. This book centers mostly on cutting, the more common and least understood form of self-harm. With superior resources and an attention-keeping graphic presentation, the Teen Issues series not only educates those who do not understand these behaviors but also provides strategies and resources to help individuals dealing with these problems. This book is a must-have for school and public libraries to support individuals and prevention programs in schools and communities. Other titles in the series include Gangs and Relationships.-- "VOYA"