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This message was originally posted by fostersister.

My mom found out today my fs had a history of self injury she is 15 and my mom found this out at an iep meeting shouldn't this have been something her cw mentioned before she was placed here we are just glad she didn't try anything yet. any info on stabbing/wrist slitting my family would appreiciate greatly.

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This message was originally posted by hope4kids.

I know it sounds real scary to hear something like that. Did they say how long ago or how oftens she self-injured? It could have been very episodic. Did they say what type of self-injury? That would be helpful info too.

A good book on the subject is called Cutting by Levenkron. A novel that may help you understand a little about cutting is called The Luckiest Little Girl in the World also by Levenkron.

I have a small wealth of info on this subject. What do you want to know? I will throw out a few facts and you can ask questions from there if you want. There is a high correlation between self-injury and sexual abuse. Some people si (self0injure) in order to feel something, they feel numb or dead and the pain is at least feeling something. Some people si to stop emotions that feel out of control. People who SI are not trying to kill themselves. People who SI often lack the ability to identify and describe the intense emotions they are feeling.

There are several good websites on SI. The Something Fishy Website has some links I think. I will look up the addresses for you and post them as soon as I can.

Just keep being there for her. Let her know it is safe to feel whatever she feels and to express her emotions with words so that she doesn't feel SI is the only way to express them. But know that there is nothing you can do to make it certain that she will not SI. SI is addictive. It is not easy to unlearn even in a good family with lots of love around. Don't let yourself be responsible for her behaviors. If she does SI, don't let yourself feel guilty. Just keep on caring like you do.

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This message was originally posted by Wendi5000.

If you are close in age to your foster sister, you might consider just approaching her directly and being honest - "I don't know very much about self-injury, and it scares me that you might want to hurt yourself because I care about you. Would you mind explaining a little bit about self-injury to me so that I can understand you better?" You might be suprised and find that she really *wants* to talk to someone about it but hasn't done so because she fears being thought of as a freak or wierdo. Only you know your family situation though, and you might want to mention this idea to your Mom before you do it.

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This message was originally posted by fostersister.

I probably shouldn't say anything yet because me and c her sis got in a conversation about her mom and she kinda didn't like it we finally got ahold of cw though and he said she has been stable for a long time thanks for helping me out of my freak out period though

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This message was originally posted by Wendi5000.

fostersister,

If you still have concerns, or just want to talk to someone about this, maybe you could find a trusted adult such as your school counselor and tell her your worries and fears and have her explain some things about people who self-injure to you. It might help to put your mind at ease, because you really do need to be talking to someone about these feelings and not keeping them bottled up inside.

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This message was originally posted by fostersister.

They finally told us she's been stable since they put her on medication a while ago she has control now so i've cdalmed thank you