TEEN QUESTION/PROBLEM:
Hi. I have been cutting for about 9 months now. My mom and dad say that I cut because I'm stupid or want to "fit in." It makes me really upset. She also sometimes calls me a bitch when I'm acting up. She told my school counselor during our meeting that I "Never take no for an answer when it comes to my best friend." The reason that is she never lets me see her for some reason! My mom upsets me so much, and I don't know what to do :( I got so mad at her two weeks ago, that I made two holes in my wall (I know, right...) and so I had to put a poster up to hide it from her because I'm afraid she is going to say that I'm stupid for doing that. And once we were talking about how I got a scar, and my mom said "Well obviously you like scars..." and pointed to my arms and my family was there and I felt so embarressed! I went up to my room and cried because I hate how she does this to me!!! It feels like she wants me to be embarressed. I love my mom, but I hate how she does this to me! I don't feel comfortable talking to her about it, so I don't want to. What should I do??? This makes me so upset, and I just want to cut more! Please help me!

TEEN LINE WROTE:
Hey, thanks for E-mailing TEEN LINE. I am sorry you have such a difficult relationship with your parents. It sounds like you have been hurting yourself for awhile. Do you think there is anyone you could talk to about this like a friend or trusted adult, or possibly even your school counselor. You mentioned that you talked to your school counselor with your parents. Do you think you could talk to him/her alone? I'd like to give you a referral that you might want to check out. It is www.self-injury.net. They provide a lot of stories that are similar to yours and helpful information. If you would like someone else to talk to feel free to contact us here at TEEN LINE. We are open from 6pm - 10pm PST our number is (310) 855-4673. Thanks, I hope all the best for you.

a TEEN LINE listener