http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,,1710655,00.html

This article is from The Guardian on 16th February. It focuses on a case study of a young person who self-injure and recently appeared on a Channel 4 documetary called “The Cutting Club”.

An Internet organisation “RecoverYourLife” (RYL) is discussed, and the possible negative consequences that sites such as these can lead to. The following quote is particularly interesting.

“But Dr Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation, which will publish a national inquiry into self-harm next month, is worried about sites such as RYL, which he says can serve to normalise the problem. “These sites can do more harm than good,” he warns. “Warnings that postings might induce self-harm are clearly inadequate.””

While this might be the case with some self-injury websites (I am not an expert on RYL and do not know enough about it to comment), I believe that LifeSIGNS in no way does more harm than good. This article concerns me, as I feel that people might get the idea that LifeSIGNS is the same as sites which promote or encourage self-injury – we do not. LifeSIGNS encourages people to look for more positive and less destructive coping mechanisms.
We realise that self-injury is not normal behaviour, and that it is not healthy.

We must endeavour to get the message across that LifeSIGNS is of great help to those who self-injure.