Product Description

As groundbreaking as "Reviving Ophelia" and Hope Edelman's "Motherless Daughters", "A Bright Red Scream" is a compelling investigation of why so many people deliberately hurt themselves and what can be done to help them. This is an illness that was outed on a global scale when Princess Diana admitted hurting herself deliberately, and 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #91619 in Books
• Published on: 2005-07-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'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 'Strong's book ought to leap on to the reading list of anyone involved in pastoral work with adolescents. Those bright red screams want to be heard' TES 'The first book I have read which looks with understanding and compassion at the victims of self-mutilation and the case histories presented give major insights into this disturbing behaviour' Irish Independent 'This beautifully written, sensitively told account of people who mutilate themselves is filled with riveting stories that will haunt a reader long after the last page has been turned. Every person who has ever taken a razor to her body, along with the professionals who treat such women and men, will benefit from reading this moving book' LILLIAN B. RUBIN, author of THE TRANSCENDENT CHILD 'A landmark study, deftly written, waiting to be bookmarked' I- D

LILLIAN B. RUBIN, author of THE TRANSCENDENT CHILD
'This beautifully written, sensitively told account of people who mutilate themselves is filled with riveting stories...

From the Author
Based on over 5 yrs of research & interviews:
I wrote this book to provide both hope and help to people who self-injure. No one need suffer in silence, believing that they are alone in their pain. There are ways to heal both the internal and external wounds. I am grateful to the fifty-plus self-injurers from across the U.S. (and in the U.K., Canada, and Australia) who so bravely shared their stories with me and a like number of researchers and experts who treat self-injury whose insights helped me understand this very complex phenomenon.

Customer Reviews

brilliant
Having self-harmed myself, though cutting was not my main way of doing so, and working with people who do, I found this book very insightful. Its strength is that the author listens and quotes the people who self-harm, sees them as people not as cases, and offers a variety of explanations, theories etc. She comes at it as someone interested not as someone whose job it is to cure. I find this a very positive and helpful approach. In my own work, I do not focus on stopping someone's self-harming but am interested in them as whole people - and in the long run, that is what helps people, whether or not they stop cutting etc. This book should be read by everyone who has any connection to anyone who self-harms - especially anyone who is a professional and thinks they know it all. And of course to anyone who does self-harm, or cares about someone who does

Honest and clearly explained but retains feeling and emotion
As someone who knew of cutting as a desperate slash across the wrists and never considered my own forms of self harm as anything worth a second thought this book book really opened my eyes. Some parts hit very close to home and can make reading difficult, even emotionally painful, but it is worth persevering. Marilee Strong has researched this well and has found plenty of facts and a variety of schools of thought on the causes and treatment of all kinds of self harm and explains them in a way for the average layperson to understand with dumbing down the scientific nature of this research. The case studies bring the book alive, making it seem like a true story (which it is) as opposed to an acedemics text. This book reveals how common self harm is and shows it in many lights - from teenagers who long to stop to the middle aged who are comfortable harming as part of their lifestyle. The likely causes are also examined along with methods of helping 'cure' self harm but never is there any mention of 'wrong' or 'bad' nor is there any suggestion that those who do not harm for the examined reasons or respond to the recommended treatments are fakes or any less of a 'cutter' than a textbook example. I like the way this book is very human, full of feeling and emotion and examing individuals as part of a whole instead of a whole into which the individuals must fit. Marilee Strong has done a wonderful job of a difficult and controversial subject, i recommend this book for all psychologists, teachers and social workers (as well as anyone who does harm or knows someone who does) - it is an invaluable insight into some of the problems of life and how they can manifest themselves.

A Bright Red Scream
I am a foster carer and came across my first case of self harm/mutilation. I was scared and ignorant, i found this book gave me an understanding of the reasons why people self harm and took away the myth of it being just attention seeking. the book is well written and easy to read. It helped me when I could not get advice or knowledge else where. the book gave me the confidence to help the young person and also to do it without fear or judgement. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who deals with or needs an understanding of self harm.