Published: June 01, 2006 03:19 am      

Roy-Hart students join self-harm trend

MIDDLEPORT — Several instances of self-inflicted injuries were discovered at Royalton-Hartland Middle School recently, prompting officials to write parents informing them of the problem.

Students, according to the letter, have been found to hold their breath until they pass out, wager money on whether or not they can do it, and inflict bruises on their faces and hands by pinching themselves.

Principal Sean Kinsley calls it “a fad,” but one that the district is taking seriously.

“It’s for fun, they think its funny,” Kinsley said. “They pinch their chin until it (bruises) and they think it’s funny. It’s something I’m not going to tolerate.”

Described in the letter to parents as “self-injurious” activities, Kinsley offers parents warning signs of the behavior. Odd bruises may be a result of the behavior.

Since parents have been made aware and students have been informed that the behavior will result in serious disciplinary consequences, Kinsley expects occurrences of it to wane.

“It’s a fad. It’ll go away and something new will come along,” Kinsley said. “It’s something new and exciting and it’ll pass just like everything else does.”

Other more serious forms of self-mutilation are also addressed, including “cutting,” or the practice of purposely slicing skin. School officials recommend outside counseling for any serious forms of self-mutilation.

District Superintendent Paul Bona said the reason for the letter was simply to keep parents informed. Both he and Kinsley said that they’ve heard of problems like this before, but they first cropped up in Middleport about a month ago.

“It’s not just going on at our school, it’s going on nationwide,” Bona said. “These types of behaviors exist throughout the country.”

Bona described the type of information passed on to parents as “proactive” with the hopes of keeping the serious injury count at zero.

“I call it preventative maintenance,” Bona said. “I’d rather be addressing the issues early on, rather than putting out major forest fires after.”

Some experts, though, draw the distinction between social motives and psychological ones. The Web site for Focus Adolescent Services, a group that offers information and advice to teens and parents, points out that self-injurious behavior does not include behavior based on the desire for “fitting in or being cool.”

Other common forms of self-injury include burning, branding and pulling on skin and hair, the site said. The group estimates that about 1 percent of the American population engages in some form of legitimate self-injury.

Contact Eric DuVall at 439-9222, Ext. 6251.