Dear Ann Landers, My best friend is slitting her wrists. I know she doesn't want to end her life, but whenever she has a bad day at school or problems at home, she cuts herself. The last time she did this, I threatened to tell her parents, but she pleaded with me to keep quiet and promised she would never do it again.
We are both 14. She is my best friend, and I want her to be happy and healthy. What can I do to help her? -- Just Me in Philadelphia
Dear Philadelphia, You must insist that your friend get some counseling at once. She should see the school nurse, the family doctor or her favorite teacher. Self-mutilation is a serious problem and requires immediate attention. Don't delay, and don't let her talk you out of it.
Hi! It's Margo here. I'd love to know what you think of the letters -- and the answers!
Also, any additional thoughts you might have. Thanks!
Rodrigo Villaseñor's Comment
You have to be in contact with his parents and you talk about the subject as quickly as possible, so that this does not generate a shorter term car or a long term suicide, you must also contact teachers and friends who help to generate good vibes and that don't fall and keep doing more things like that
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Our Reader to Reader Question of the Week:
Dear Readers, , “A funeral provides proof that the de-ceased is gone. It helps the bereaved to overcome denial mechanisms.” You are dead right, Ann. Don’t let anyone change your mind. I learned the lesson from bitter experience. My husband was declared missing in action over France on June 10, 1944. In January of ’45 he was declared dead after his crashed plane was found. I refused to believe it. News items about lost flyers who were found alive in unexpected places kept my hopes alive. Finally I was forced to make the decision and I requested that my hus- band be buried in France. A flag came home. Almost 20 years later I took my son to France to visit his father’s grave. When the kindly custodian asked us whose grave we had come to see my throat closed. I couldn’t speak or eat for 48 hours. I grieved as if my husband had just died. Even now, as I write these words I can feel my throat tighten. I realize I suffered all that agony because I had never witnessed the final farewell. I should have re-quested that my husband’s remains be sent home and had a funeral. So please keep telling it like it is, Ann. People need to hear it.
