Self Injury

A couple of weeks ago at my work (a drug and alcohol rehab for adolescents), A boy named p___ asks to use the bathroom, and I nod that it’s ok and begin going about my usual task of trying to get the kids calmed down and ready for bed.

So, after what seems to be awhile I'm wondering what is taking P___ so long, I walk over to the bathroom and,right as I'm about to knock, the door swings open. He’s standing in the doorway with a pencil in his hand. The eraser has been chewed off and the metal end is flattened down and shaped into a jagged point. His eyes widen in surprise when he sees me and there is a blood-soaked tissue wrapped around his forearm. Tears are streaming down his face. I am speechless.

P__ is a cutter.

The Mayo Clinic explains that cutting (self injury, self mutilation) is not an attempt at suicide or an “artistic expression." Most cutters cut because they are trying to release some sort of negative emotion, such as anger, fear, or frustration. The sensation of cutting themselves brings a temporary state of calmness and is a temporary coping mechanism for psychological pain. Other times cutting is done for manipulation or to get attention. After the act has been committed, the cutter often feels guilty, humiliated, and the negative emotions return.

According to Mental Health America’s website, of the 2 million people in the US who “Self-injure,” the majority are “teenagers or young adults with young woman out numbering young men.” These numbers only represent the people who have chosen to admit their problem. There are many more out there.

After his wounds were properly dressed and he had spoke to his counselor, P__ laid in his bunk and sobbed. I could hear him asking himself why. I could hear him calling himself names . I could hear the soft undertones of the other boys whispering about what had happened. They were looking for answers. I did not have any. I wanted to help. I didn’t know how.

If you or someone you know suffers from the desire to “Self injure,” there are a number of resources out there that can help. One of the of the more specialized Websites that I found is www.selfinjury.com or S.A.F.E Alternatives. This site offers a lot of information about treatment options and also provides an avenue to a lot more information on the topic in general. The site also directs visitors who may need help to the national “Self Injury” hotline (1-800-Don’t Cut)

(Photo Credit: learnsomethingnew @ flickr)

Slumdog Millionaire

When the lights fade up, Jamal (Dev Patel) is in the hot seat of India’s version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.” He has made it through round after round of questions -- a feat so improbable for an uneducated boy from the slums that disbelieving police tortured him between shows, demanding to know how he cheated.

Now, he sits and waits for his chance to win it all. “So are you ready for the final question for 20 million rupees?” asks the show’s host Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor). “No, but maybe it’s written, no?” Jamal replies, referencing just how fateful his presence on that stage is.

The general premise behind Director Danny Boyle’s (“Trainspotting”) epic saga “Slumdog Millionaire,” an adaptation of the novel “Q&A” by Vikas Swarup, is the improbable destiny of an underdog -- a poverty-stricken orphan and his chance at glory.

The movie, which almost didn’t get a theatre release (its original distributor, Warner Independent, folded last year) and was shot entirely in India with unknown actors, recently won eight academy awards-- including best picture, best director, and best cinematography.

So, with that said, is it safe to say the movie has somewhat paralleled the path of its protagonist? Or, am I reaching?

Well reaching or not reaching, the movie’s dominance in the award sector can be attributed to its heart-racing pulse, dynamic soundtrack, and the cinematic journey moviegoers take around the tin-roof shacks and garbage-strewn alleys of Mumbai.

The narrative fuses flashbacks with shots of the game show, shedding light on the long, cruel, and sometimes amusing paths of Jamal, his brother Salim (Madhur Mittal), and the love of his life Latika (Freida Pinto), and the instances in his life where he learns the answers to the questions that have brought him so far on the show.

The scenes are colorful, larger than life, and sometimes heartrending--as they focus on the dramatic nature of absolute poverty and the struggles the characters face.

In one scene, Jamal swims through the excrement of a public toilet in order to get an autograph from his Bollywood hero

In another, Salim and Jamal nearly fall from the rooftop of a moving passenger train.

The graphic images of the squalor depicted in “Slumdog Millionaire” have the movie being praised by some as an act of righteous social commentary and denounced by others as capitalistic exploitation (London Times columnist Alice Miles called the movie, “poverty porn” )

To all of this, both praise and criticism, I say lighten up.

“Slumdog Millionaire” is a touching modern day fairy tale – both buoyant and magical – and inspires hope while capturing the imagination.

We need not dissect what’s on the big screen in order to get the bigger picture.

(Photo credit: by masterorz -- Flickr)