A Bright Red Scream
Encyclopedia
A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain is a 1998 non fiction psychology
book written by American journalist Marilee Strong about self-harm
. Published by Viking Press
, it is the first general interest
book on self-harm.
published Bodies Under Siege: Self-mutilation in Culture and Psychiatry
, the first psychiatric text on the subject of self-harm. Marilee Strong was an American journalist who had spent several weeks in Mozambique
on a Pulitzer Fellowship reporting on the psychological trauma
experienced by children as a result of the civil war
. When she returned to the United States, she heard about self-harm and decided to research the subject. In 1993 she wrote an article for San Francisco Focus
entitled "A Bright Red Scream", part of a surge in media interest in the topic in the years following the publication of Favazza's book. Strong's was the first in-depth magazine article on self-harm and was the cover story for that issue. To research the book, she interviewed over 50 people who intentionally harm themselves, many of them by cutting. She also interviewed neuroscientists, psychologists and psychiatrists, including Favazza, a recognised expert on self-harm, and Bessel van der Kolk
, a specialist in posttraumatic stress disorder. The title of the article and book came from an interview with a self-harmer who described the action of self-mutilation as a cry for help, calling it "a bright red scream".
, addiction
and posttraumatic stress disorder.
journal Psychiatric Services
. He called it "an illuminating and compassionate book" and said that the "greatest strength of this book is journalistic." Regarding Strong's focus on the childhood psychological trauma experienced by many cutters, he criticised her for neglecting "the nearly 50 percent of self-mutilating individuals who do not report trauma histories". Writing for Time
, Tamala M. Edwards called it "a compelling tour of the trauma and science of self-injury".
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
book written by American journalist Marilee Strong about self-harm
Self-harm
Self-harm or deliberate self-harm includes self-injury and self-poisoning and is defined as the intentional, direct injuring of body tissue most often done without suicidal intentions. These terms are used in the more recent literature in an attempt to reach a more neutral terminology...
. Published by Viking Press
Viking Press
Viking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
, it is the first general interest
General interest
General interest may mean:* of interest to the general public* Common good...
book on self-harm.
Background
In 1987 American psychiatrist Armando FavazzaArmando Favazza
Armando Favazza is an American author and psychiatrist best known for his studies of cultural psychiatry, deliberate self-harm, and religion. Favazza's Bodies Under Siege: Self-mutilation in Culture and Psychiatry was the first psychiatric book on this topic...
published Bodies Under Siege: Self-mutilation in Culture and Psychiatry
Bodies Under Siege
Bodies Under Siege: Self-mutilation in Culture and Psychiatry is the title of a book written by psychiatrist Dr. Armando Favazza, and published in 1987.Bodies Under Siege was the first psychiatric book on self-harm...
, the first psychiatric text on the subject of self-harm. Marilee Strong was an American journalist who had spent several weeks in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
on a Pulitzer Fellowship reporting on the psychological trauma
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
experienced by children as a result of the civil war
Mozambican Civil War
The Mozambican Civil War began in 1977, two years after the end of the war of independence. The ruling party, Front for Liberation of Mozambique , was violently opposed from 1977 by the Rhodesian- and South African-funded Mozambique Resistance Movement...
. When she returned to the United States, she heard about self-harm and decided to research the subject. In 1993 she wrote an article for San Francisco Focus
San Francisco (magazine)
San Francisco is an American monthly magazine devoted to San Francisco Bay Area culture, including arts, food, and entertainment. It is published monthly by publications.-History:...
entitled "A Bright Red Scream", part of a surge in media interest in the topic in the years following the publication of Favazza's book. Strong's was the first in-depth magazine article on self-harm and was the cover story for that issue. To research the book, she interviewed over 50 people who intentionally harm themselves, many of them by cutting. She also interviewed neuroscientists, psychologists and psychiatrists, including Favazza, a recognised expert on self-harm, and Bessel van der Kolk
Bessel van der Kolk
Bessel van der Kolk has conducted research in the area of post-traumatic stress since the 1970s. His work focuses on the interaction of attachment, neurobiology, and developmental aspects of trauma’s effects on people. He has written the definitive work in the field of psychological trauma,...
, a specialist in posttraumatic stress disorder. The title of the article and book came from an interview with a self-harmer who described the action of self-mutilation as a cry for help, calling it "a bright red scream".
Subject
Millions of people in the United States regularly engage in self-harm, intentionally injuring themselves. Many of them use sharp objects such as knives, razors or broken glass to cut themselves. Strong set out to find the meaning behind this intentional self-harm, exploring related fields of research like child abuseChild abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Critical reception
Charles R. Swenson reviewed the book for American Psychiatric AssociationAmerican Psychiatric Association
The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
journal Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services is a peer-reviewed academic journal publishing research on psychiatry. It is published monthly by American Psychiatric Association , and is edited by Howard H. Goldman....
. He called it "an illuminating and compassionate book" and said that the "greatest strength of this book is journalistic." Regarding Strong's focus on the childhood psychological trauma experienced by many cutters, he criticised her for neglecting "the nearly 50 percent of self-mutilating individuals who do not report trauma histories". Writing for Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Tamala M. Edwards called it "a compelling tour of the trauma and science of self-injury".