@ www.theotherpress.ca News Hurting ourselves The Brunswickan sheds light on self-injury among university students By Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan (University of New Brunswick) FREDERICTON (CUP) — Live for today. The words are etched on Stefanie Boucher-Bouchard’s left wrist in black cursive. Above them, her forearm is striped with thin, white lines. The scars left from years of self-injury. Self-harm—often referred to as cutting—is the intentional injuring of one’s own body. It is usually done without suicidal intentions and can become an addiction. Counselling Services at UNB has noticed a high number of students coming in who report self- injury. 91 of 260 students who have sought services on campus since January reported the behaviour during their intake questionnaire. That's just over one-third of their visitors. Nancy Buzzell, psychologist with Counselling Services, did not wish to comment on those numbers. She says a month’s worth of numbers is “not strong enough to stand on its own.” Despite this, self-injuring is still a reality for many university students across the country. Buzzell says there have been eight studies on self-harm in university students, the majority of which report 30 per cent of students have engaged in some form of self-injuring, whether it be cutting, scratching or burning. For Stefanie, now in her third year at St. Thomas University, this behaviour began when she was 11. She was sexually abused by a family member at an early age and started suffering from anorexia when she was just eight years old. She started off picking scabs, enough that they didn’t heal for weeks. She also started scratching her wrists and arms. “T wasn’t seeking out directly with a blade to harm myself, just picking at my skin — things that would cause injury, but would be easier to explain away,” she says. This kind of self-harm, and eventually cutting, lasted almost every day until she was 19. Stefanie was also raped in high school. Cutting became a distraction for her—a way to displace the pain of sexual assault with something else. “T used it as a way to distract myself from the thoughts and memories of the assault and the pain would bring me back. It would bring me back right away from the memories,” she said. Now 20, it’s been a year since Stefanie last self-injured. She stopped when she entered a serious relationship, though admits she has occasionally relapsed. “It’s hard to hide something like that from someone you're with every day and to have to put someone who willingly chooses to be in your life through that,” she said. Explaining self-harm to loved ones is often one of the most difficult things a person has to deal with, Buzzell says. There’s a stigma attached to self-injuring. “The worst sort of generalization is that they self- injure because they need help. They want someone to know they’re very upset and yet the first thing they hear from someone sometimes is that they’re just doing it for attention,” she said. Buzzell noted there is an incredibly small minority who self- injure for attention. “By and large, a far greater number don’t tell anyone about it. They are ashamed that they do it and try to hide it.” Self-injuring is a temporary fix, with lasting consequences. Buzzell explained it begins that way, to distract from emotional pain, but it can escalate. “Tt has an addiction piece. It’s a complicated relationship between what happens in a person’s mind and their body—the endorphin thing that happens when people self-injure,” she said. People often feel a release or a sense of control while they self- injure. After, the rush is replaced with shame and guilt. “Research says that relief is temporary and followed by a lot of things that aren’t so good and people have to do more of it,” said Buzzell. “They have to self-harm more.” If self-injuring goes untreated, people may get the urge to do it more frequently or inflict deeper harm. They run the risk of infection or blood poisoning. It can also create tensions with loved ones. Self-injuring while drinking or using drugs also creates an additional risk because people aren't as careful, both while injuring or patching their injuries up. Buzzell said there are coping mechanisms people can use to prevent self-injuring. The longer they wait, the less likely they are to hurt themselves. She suggested Ericksonian techniques. People with the urge to self-harm should take a deep breath and focus on five sights around them. Then, take another breath and focus on five sounds they can hear. Lastly, they should focus on five sensations, such as the feeling of their feet on the ground, with another deep breath. “By the time they do that whole thing—it takes about five minutes— they will be calmed down and it’s less likely that they will do it. It’s a way of reducing the urge,” she says. Both Buzzell and Stefanie suggest reaching out for help, whether it’s a friend, family member or a counsellor. “T still struggle. It’s like any addiction, my eating disorder, my self-injuring, it’s not going to go away overnight and I don’t think it’s ever going to go away, but I know I have the support of the people around me,” Stefanie said. Now, her scars are the only visible reminder of her past with self-injuring. She’s upbeat, twirling fettuccini pasta melted with brie on a fork. On her left hand, a silver engagement ring catches the light. She got engaged to her girlfriend on the weekend and her smile is unwavering. She isn’t afraid to show her scars, but cautions everyone against self-harm. “It wasn’t great. It releases endorphins, but the relief you get from it is only temporary. The shame and the guilt and the pain you'll feel from those injuries years later is something you're going to have to deal with for the rest of your life.” Online surveillance bill sparks backlash online Toews under fire by Anonymous By Dylan Hackett, News Editor ederal Minister of Public H Safety, Vic Toews, is under scrutiny by the online hacker group Anonymous for statements he made in defence of his proposal of Bill C-30. In response to widespread criticism of the controversial bill, which would give police unprecedented powers in Internet surveillance without need for warrant, Toews stated that ministers against the bill “can stand with us or with the child pornographers.” This statement drew the attention of Anonymous, who presented Toews with a threat to ruin his career with private information related to power abuse and personal scandal. “We highly suspect neither your first wife, your former mistress, nor your political peers are aware of [the incident]. This incident is not only linked to your personal life but to the direct abuse of your political position,” said Anonymous in a YouTube video. “Information of this incident has been submitted to us multiple times, independently by both named and anonymous sources. Think very hard Mr. Toews, as we said previously we have no doubt you have many skeletons in your closet.” Anonymous went on to boast that their claim is not a bluff, providing Toews a 7-day deadline for him to can Bill C-30. Toews initial presentation of the bill reads as follows: “as technology evolves many criminal activities such as the distribution of child pornography become much easier. We are proposing new measures to bring laws into the 21* century and provide police with the lawful tools that they need... you can stand with us or with the child pornographers.” Anonymous’ further stated that their critical response also highlights the process of deceptive language in the naming of bills. “It has become very apparent that the purpose of Bill C-30 was never to prevent the distribution of child pornography... Bill C-30 was originally named ‘an act to enact the investigating and preventing criminal electronic communications act to amend the criminal code and other acts’,” said Anonymous. “The bill’s title] was later changed to the ‘protecting children from internet predators act’ to better sell this massive intrusion of privacy to the Canadian people.”