Dissenting Voices

Volume 4 Issue 1

2015

Girls, Instagram, and the Glamorization of Self-loathing

Emily Tanner
The College at Brockport, State University of New York, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/dissentingvoices

Part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and
Sexuality Studies Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons

Repository Citation
Tanner, Emily (2015) "Girls, Instagram, and the Glamorization of Self-loathing," Dissenting Voices: Vol. 4 :
Iss. 1 , Article 10.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.brockport.edu/dissentingvoices/vol4/iss1/10

This More Voices is brought to you for free and open access by the Women and Gender Studies at Digital
Commons @Brockport. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissenting Voices by an authorized editor of Digital
Commons @Brockport. For more information, please contact [email protected].
 EMILY TANNER The College at Brockport, State University of New York

Girls, Instagram, and the

Glamorization of Self-loathing

In this paper, I explore a complex, perplexing, and somewhat disturbing subculture that exists on the
social media platform, Instagram. Within this subculture, adolescent girls share photos which depict and
in many ways promote eating disorders and self-harm. By analyzing the images themselves as well as
identifying patterns in identity of the profiles that host these images, I raise several questions which
require further discussion. First, who is sharing these images? Why are they being shared? What can be
done to help the girls suffering from these serious psychological issues? And finally, what is happening in
our culture and in our world to push young girls to these extreme behaviors? Discussion and analysis of
these topics is not easy, but it is necessary if we as a society hope to protect girls from experiencing such
troublesome and worrying adolescent years; it is crucial if we hope to create a society full of strong,
psychologically healthy women. With this essay, I use my voice to dissent against a culture that damns
girls and young women to lives plagued by years of self-hatred, hurt, and sadness.

Note to readers: This photo essay contains graphic images which depict
emaciated bodies, promotions of eating disorders, and self-harm including
cuts and blood. If you feel that you may be triggered or made upset by these
images, you may choose not to continue reading.

If you or someone you know is currently struggling with these issues, help is
available. See Appendix A for some suggested resources.

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 105

 Introduction cup of coffee to a car insurance
Feminist scholars have long been advertisement. Social media has invaded
interested in the challenges that young the American lifestyle, and virtually no
girls face growing up in a patriarchal one is immune. This invasion may be
society. In fact, an entire field, Girl particularly pronounced among teen
Studies, has developed as research on and pre-teen girls, however. One
the lives of girls has accumulated. In popular social media platform called
1994, Mary Pipher wrote a book titled Instagram functions almost exclusively
Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of through a mobile app for one’s smart
Adolescent Girls. In this book, readers
phone or tablet. It allows users to share
are presented with stories from
images with their “followers” and to
adolescent girls who Pipher
build a network of friends. According
encountered in her career as a clinical
psychologist. A prominent issue to Instagram’s website, since their
discussed throughoutthis particular launch in 2010 they now host 300
work is the increasing rates of million active members and over 30
depression and eating disorders among billion photos (Instagram, 2015c).
young girls in America. Though Pipher Alongside everyday Instagram users,
was certainly not the first to discuss this companies, celebrities, and politicians
phenomenon, her book became a (including Barack and Michelle Obama)
prominent one among feminist circles, use the photo-sharing tool to connect
especially among those interested in with average citizens. The popularity of
studying the lives of girls. Now eleven Instagram becomes extremely
years later, the very serious issues important when we learn more about
discussed in this book and others like it
how and why some young people are
remain prominent in the lives of young
making use of this particular digital
women, but the stories are often being
space.
told in a different way.
In modern Western culture, social Instagram does not allow anyone
media outlets are a force to be reckoned under the age of thirteen to use their
with. In small towns and populous app. However, it takes no more effort
cities alike, one would be hard-pressed than lying about one’s birth-year to get
to go an entire day without seeing a around this restriction. Although nearly
Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or all social media companies place age
Instagram symbol on anything from a restrictions on who can sign up to use
their platform, these numbers become

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 106

arbitrary to any young person on a and problems without definitive
mission to be included in digital social solutions.
spaces. Similar to most modes of media
today, Instagram hosts content which
can be inappropriate (or at least
questionable) for children. While
Instagram has rules about the types of
photos that can be shared, as explained
in their “community guidelines,” these
rules are often broken. Some images
may fall somewhere on the border of
these rules, bending them with their
problematic content. One guideline for
which this is particularly true is their
ban on content promoting self-harm
and disordered eating. Figure 1 is a
screenshot of Instagram’s policy
regarding such photos.
Although this explanation may seem
concise but unambiguous, the matter
Figure 1. Instagram's Community Guidelines
becomes much more complicated when (2015a).
considering exactly what kinds of
Background
images represent a coming together “to
create awareness or find support”. As a double major in psychology and
Further, Instagram’s commitment to women’s studies with a minor in
remove images “encouraging or urging sociology, looking at the social
people to embrace self-injury” is one interactions and patterns regarding
difficult to uphold when all images psychological issues among girls and
depicting self-injury and eating women is something I am highly
disorders can be argued as encouraging interested in. I’ve always found eating
these behaviors. In collecting images disorders fascinating and, in choosing
for this essay, I have found that these to research the Instagram sub-culture in
issues create a grey area, full of which young girls glamorize these, it
questions without definitive answers became evident to me that I could not

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 107

do so without also addressing the psychological disorders, features NSSI
promotion of self-harm. Finding images as its own condition rather than a
which represent this sub-culture of self- symptom of other conditions (Stetka &
deprecation in relation to one’s weight Correll, 2013). The APA DSM V (2013)
was easy; separating self-harm from explains the criteria for NSSI:
disordered eating was not. In addition, In the last year, the individual has, on 5
choosing which images to use in my or more days, engaged in intentional
essay was made difficult due to the self-inflicted damage to the surface of
surprisingly vast amount of disturbing his or her body, of a sort likely to
images I came across. Many of the girls induce bleeding or bruising or pain
who use Instagram in the manner that I (e.g., cutting, burning, stabbing, hitting,
am examining state that they have excessive rubbing), for purposes not
mental illnesses such as depression and socially sanctioned (e.g., body piercing,
tattooing, etc.), but performed with the
anxiety, whether professionally or self-
expectation that the injury will lead to
diagnosed. Some of them have
only minor or moderate physical harm
attempted or look as if they plan to
(p 803).
attempt suicide, often sharing images
which suggest suicidal ideation. Many Most girls who share depictions of
girls discuss binging and purging, the their own self-harm on Instagram likely
primary symptoms associated with fit this official diagnosis. For the
bulimia nervosa. These conditions purposes of this paper, I will be using
coupled with cultural and societal the term “self-harm” to refer to images
factors, which I will address later in this which show cutting or which discuss
essay, push many girls to unhealthy the desire to engage in cutting.
coping mechanisms such as cutting, Eating disorders are somewhat
hitting, or starving oneself in the pursuit popular in terms of their discussion in
to be thin. pop culture and among lay people.
Self-harm is known by several names Terms such as “anorexia” and
including self-mutilation, self-injury, “bulimia” are frequently used but the
and the official term of the American official criteria for the disorders which
Psychological Association: Non-Suicidal they represent are generally somewhat
Self-Injury (NSSI). The most recent misunderstood. The Center for Eating
edition of the Diagnostic Statistics Disorders at Sheppard Pratt (2015) cites
Manual, a book defining all official

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 108

the DSM V (2013) in three criteria used descriptions. In addition, the photos
to diagnose Anorexia Nervosa: can be added to public lists with the use
Restriction of energy intake relative to of “hashtags.” The average Instagram
requirements leading to a significantly user shares photos of their everyday
low body weight…, Intense fear of lives - - pets, friends, concerts, meals
gaining weight or becoming fat, and they eat - - but photos can also include
disturbance in the way one's body things like inspirational quotes and
weight or shape is experienced, undue motivational images. Many users
influence of body weight or shape on participate in sharing images revolving
self-evaluation, or denial of the around fitness and health. In these
seriousness of the current low body
instances, people are typically
weight” (para 1).
promoting healthy life advice and ways
Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by in which they feel they are bettering
episodes of bingeing followed by themselves. However, there is a
purging food from the body, usually by disturbing sub-culture that can be
vomiting or the use of laxatives. The found alongside this one on Instagram;
diagnosis also might include feeling out one in which young people are sharing
of control of one’s eating while messages which promote dangerous
bingeing, eating beyond the point of (even deadly) behaviors. Finding these
fullness, inappropriate compensatory images requires nothing more than a
behaviors following a binge, frequent search for specific hashtags used among
dieting, and extreme concern with body young people who participate in this
weight and shape (The Alliance for community, some of whom fall below
Eating Disorder Awareness, 2013). the age requirement to create an
Identifying Patterns Instagram account.
The Problem These numerous images feature
depictions of extremely thin bodies and
The intended purpose of Instagram is
“thinspo” (which is an abbreviated term
similar to that of any social networking
for the slang “thin-spiration.” Some
outlet—to allow users to connect with
images feature sayings used to
other users. Instagram is somewhat
encourage girls to starve themselves or
unique in that it functions exclusively
tips on how to eat as few calories as
by hosting profiles on which users are
possible (or burn as many calories as
able to share photos with brief
possible) as part of an extreme diet

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 109

plan. Others show images of cuts on have a basic understanding of the
arms and legs, many of which also language being used among girls who
feature words describing what it is like participate in this particular subculture.
to live as someone who cuts and hides This is an important place to start
it from everyone they know. because the knowledge of what code
Unfortunately, these images collectively words are used by the members of this
serve to promote these debilitating community allows one to locate the
mental health issues and almost problematic images which are included
certainly encourage young people who in this essay. As I dug deeper into my
have not yet engaged in these behaviors research, I would come across new
to try them as a means to cope with nicknames being used for various
issues in their own lives. However, in psychological disorders and problematic
looking at and contemplating each of behaviors. These words are most often
these photos, the question of why girls found among the many “hashtags” used
share these types of things is repeated by the girls who post these public
over and over. The answer is as difficult images. Hashtags function as both a
to find as a moving, invisible target, but descriptor for individual images and,
in considering some patterns that are according to Instagram’s website,
found in this subculture, we are able to “After you tag your post with a hashtag,
theorize some possible reasons why you'll be able to tap the hashtag to see a
girls participate in this relatively new page that shows all photos and videos
method of sharing their stories. people have uploaded with that
All of the profiles and images I hashtag” (Instagram, 2015b). In
collected are public, but only some of addition, one can locate all images
them give details about the owner of which are tagged with a specific word
the profile. I had hoped to be able to by doing a search on the Instagram app.
see more of the girls’ ages but I did see In Table 1, I’ve shown what coded
profiles belonging to girls ranging from hashtags are being used by girls and
as young as 12 to about 23. what the words stand for.
Coded Language In addition to the use of coded
In order to analyze the phenomenon hashtags, girls who participate in this
of self-harm and eating disorder culture of glamorization of disordered
glamorization on Instagram, one has to eating and self-harm often use coded
abbreviations in their profile

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 110

descriptions. This is due to both bulimia, the number of days since
Instagram’s limiting the number of they’ve cut or had a binge/purge.
characters which can be used in profile Figures 2 through 5 show examples of
descriptions and as a means to profiles utilizing these methods.
communicate only with people who
understand the coded language.
Hashtag /
Meaning
Code Word
Ana Anorexia
Mia Bulimia
Deb Depression
Eating Disorder/ Not
Ed/Ednos Figure 2. Instagram Profile 1 (2015).
Otherwise Specified
Cat Self-harm/cutting
Sue Suicidal
[Image
Removed]
Thinspo Thin-spiration
Table 1. Coded Language on Instagram.

On many profiles, girls struggling

with their weight will use abbreviations
such as “HW, SW, CW, LW, GW,
UGW”. These mean “heaviest weight,
starting weight, current weight, lowest Figure 3. Instagram Profile 2 (2015).

weight, goal weight, and ultimate goal

weight,” respectively. Most often, the
“ultimate goal weight” falls into the
double digits, a weight at which few
adults are considered healthy. Some
girls also list their height and their body
mass index (BMI) in their profile
descriptions. Other common features in
these profile descriptions are the
number of suicide attempts they’ve had
Figure 4. Instagram Profile “Ana Mia” (2015).
in the past, the disorders they have, and,
for girls who struggle with self-harm or

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 111

 these profiles within the Normal
Weight category to start, and deeply
within the Underweight category as
their current weight and ultimate goal
weight. These unhealthy goals can only
be obtained using the unhealthy
method of starving oneself to lose
weight. Therefore, the images that
encourage such behaviors are
encouraging anorexia in girls.

Figure 5. Instagram Profile “Xanax” (2015).

Using an online BMI calculator

hosted by the U.S. Department of
Health & Human Services and the
Table 2. Body Mass Index (BMI) Categories
National Institutes of Health, I found (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,
that the Figure 3 profile with the 2015).

heading “Ana Mia” had a BMI of 22.7 Image Features

at her highest weight. She lists her
In addition to noticing the specific
current BMI at 15.2, but my calculation
language used among members of the
found her to fall at 14.6. The Figure 4
subculture I examined, I began to
profile for “xanax” had a starting BMI
notice patterns in the types of images
of 21.1. Her goal weights, in order,
girls were sharing which promoted both
would decrease her BMI to 20.6, 19.7,
eating disorders and self-harm. The first
18.0, and ultimately, 16.3.
detail that becomes immediately
Although the Body Mass Index
obvious is the frequent use of grayscale
system of measurement has been
rather than full-color. I believe that this
heavily critiqued as an inaccurate
detail stems from the desire to express a
measure of health, many doctors still
profound sadness among the girls
use this method to determine general
suffering with these issues. The
health status of a patient. In the BMI
following images 1-2 are examples of
Categories chart (Table 2), we can see
the use of greyscale accompanying
that these numbers place the owners of
messages which epitomize a self-

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 112

depricating mindset in relation to one’s In addition to these types of images
weight. which directly convey a message of
wanting to be thin, many of the graphic
images of self-harm cuts and scars are
made greyscale. In considering this, I
began to theorize that the pictures may
be changed to greyscale in order to
diminish the shocking effect of the
color of blood and fresh cuts. Due to
this, I believe that taking the color from
the images serves to decrease the shock
value and limit negative reactions to
even some of the most drastic images
of self-harm. To illustrate this point,
Image 3 features two full-color images
that I have juxtaposed side-by-side to
their greyscale versions. In both images,
the greyscale version appears much less
alarming. I believe that this method of
dulling the senses to self-harm visuals
Image 1. #stopeatingyoufatcow (Instagram, 2015).
could potentially encourage young
people to feel as though cutting oneself
is not a serious behavior. In fact, they
may even view the dulled greyscale
images as artistic.
Another important pattern that I
noticed when looking at images of
super-thin women is that they are
generally reduced to body parts.
Examples of these types of images are
presented in Images 4-5. There are two
main areas of the body which girls seem
Image 2. (Instagram, 2015). to focus on most when they adopt a
disordered view of eating: the legs and

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 113

 the midsection. More specifically, girls
often demonstrate a longing for
protruding collarbones and hipbones,
and a sort of worship of the “thigh
gap”. The latter term is one which
refers to having thighs that do not
touch one another when standing up
straight with the feet together. In fact,
Image 3. Full-color
the hashtag “feet together, thighs apart”
images juxtaposed side-by-
side with greyscale is very popular among the members of
versions (Author, 2015). this sub-culture.
Images which promote cutting or
hurting oneself are frequently without
words, but those that do include words
are a clear illustration of the type of
mentality that exists among many of the
girls involved in this behavior. For
example, they often communicate the
idea that cutting relieves negative
emotional states, such as stress, anxiety,
Image 4. #thinspoooo (Instagram, 2015). loneliness, and depression. While
people who self-harm do really
experience a sense of relief when they
engage in behaviors like cutting (Pipher,
1994), these images are problematic in
that they send the message to those
who have never self-injured that doing
so will help relieve feelings of sadness,
anger, or other feelings of pain and
distress. That said, these images
potentially serve as encouragement to
Image 5. #skipdinnerwakeupthinner (Instagram, start engaging in self-harm; and as
2015).
Pipher states, “Once girls begin to cut

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 114

and burn themselves, they are likely to image features a thin model standing by
continue” (p.158). the words “Every time you say no to
food, you say yes to thin.” These two
photos are just a minute example of the
number of photographs that can be
found in this thin-obsessed culture on
Instagram. Many girls share images
which promise that they will avoid food
in a particular way based on the number
of “likes” the photo receives. The
example in Image 8 promises that the
Instagram user will fast for one hour
per every like the photo receives. One
Image 6. (Instagram, 2015).
other common image that I’ve found
says something along the lines of,
“Name a food and I won’t eat it for a
month.” Further, the participants in the

Image 7. #didyoumissus (Instagram, 2015).

Images similar to those that encourage

trying self- harm as a means of relief
also exist in relation to using disordered
Image 8. #fasting (Instagram, 2015).
modes of eating as a way to lose weight.
For example, in one image I came pro-anorexia community share photos
across, the words “Hey, I’m Ana and with tips on dieting, such as how many
I’ll be your Best Friend” are written calories to eat per day, ways to exercise
over a black background. Another excessively, and how to burn calories

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 115

using unconventional methods, such as is not a new invention, and it is not an
soaking in a cold bath (Images 9-10). isolated one either. The self-harm
images are newer, which might be
explained by the historical and cultural
factors that push girls to engage in self-
harm in the first place. I have read
stories from girls and women who self-
harm and who have had eating
disorders. These stories tell me that
while individual causes lead girls to
choose these behaviors, there is a
greater cultural and societal force at
work which is pushing not just a few,
but hundreds of thousands of girls into
Image 9. #anatip (Instagram, 2015). the territory of self-loathing.
Why Should We Care?
The beauty industry and modern
media both contribute to the
phenomenon of self-hate that is
plaguing American girls and young
women. The pressure to be thin has
pushed many girls to extreme measures
of weight loss and some have lost their
lives due to eating disorders and the
many health complications that come
with them. While disorders such as
Image 10. #anatip (Instagram, 2015).
Anorexia Nervosa aren’t new, the
external pressures that cause girls to
What It All Means starve themselves for thinness are
Just as the illnesses associated with evolving at an unprecedented rate. Girls
the sharing of pro-eating disorder and are exposed to messages that demand
self-harm photographs are not new, the beauty from them almost from birth.
Instagram community of pro-anorexia Diet industries bank on the knowledge

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 116

that increased feelings of unhappiness followed by vomiting or taking laxatives
with one’s appearance prompt to prevent weight gain. At any rate, girls
consumers to spend money on are feeling enormous amounts of
products that they hope will change the negative emotions day in and day out.
way they look. As such unhappiness They wear long sleeves and pants in the
festers within young girls who feel that summer to hide the cuts on their arms
they will be unlovable if they are or legs, they tuck razors under their
anything other than what society mattresses, and they use their allowance
encourages them to be, they become to purchase diet pills. All of this
prone to depression and anxiety. Such suffering among girls in America and
psychological distress coupled with the other developed countries is impacting
turmoil that comes with growing up everyone in society. Women who grew
and figuring oneself out, girls who feel up struggling with eating disorders or
they have no outlet for their suffering self-harm often do not get better until
have turned to inflicting physical harm someone pushes them to do so. They
on the bodies that society pressures bring the psychological distress with
them to despise. them into their relationships; they bring
The pain that adolescent girls are it to work and they bring it into their
feeling in today’s media-saturated parenting. They are essentially leading
culture is a sort of torture that is lives fractured by the issues that girls
creating women who are forever spend time promoting on their
scarred by the sadness that is forced Instagram pages.
upon them. Self-hatred is an It can, and rightfully should, be said
enormously toxic force and is one that that American Instagram users have a
is difficult to overcome. The pressure right to share whatever content they’d
to be perfect is overwhelming. Girls feel like, per their first amendment right to
that their physical presence is one to be free speech. Girls using Instagram to
minimized and at the same time, their share thinspo or self-harm promoting
voices become muted. They punish material aren’t outright hurting anyone.
themselves when they feel embarrassed, They aren’t explicitly threatening lives
disliked, or ashamed of how they look. and they aren’t aggressively causing
Sometimes, that punishment comes in harm to others. However, it can also be
the form of cutting or burning oneself. said that messages which encourage
Sometimes it is a massive food binge starving oneself or harming oneself

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 117

physically are nearly as dangerous. can be used to create lasting, positive
When a pre-teen girl who was called fat change in so many ways. However, free
by someone at school comes across an speech that encourages eating disorders,
image with a saying like “No one loves self-harm, and even suicide is not a
a fat girl,” aren’t those messages positive thing in society.
threatening their wellbeing by attacking While social media continues to grow
their capacity to maintain a normal self- in size and influence, the lives of
esteem and sense of self-worth? When a Americans are being impacted in new
teenage girl whose own family makes ways. It is everyone’s responsibility to
fun of her for being moody comes question the ways that social media can
across an image suggesting that cutting benefit and harm members of society.
oneself will relieve her feelings of Regardless of their users’ age, race,
loneliness and being misunderstood, class, gender, or culture, Instagram
isn’t Instagram allowing their users to profits from the idea that a picture is
encourage unhealthy coping worth a thousand words. With 30
mechanisms that can even prove billion photos on Instagram, it’s time to
deadly? Free speech is an enormously seriously question what those 30 trillion
important part of modern society. It words are.

References
AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders (5th ed). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
BRUMBERG, J. J. (1988). Fasting girls: The history of anorexia nervosa. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
THE ALLIANCE FOR EATING DISORDER AWARENESS. (2013). Bulimia: What is bulimia?
Retrieved March 27, 2015, from
http://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/portal/bulimia#.VTcPU5NBFNt
NATIONAL HEART, LUNG, AND BLOOD INSTITUTE. (2015). Calculate your body mass index.
Retrieved April 7, 2015, from
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
CHERNIN, K. (1985). The hungry self: Women, eating, and identity. New York, NY:
HarperCollins.

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 118

INSTAGRAM, INC. (2015a). Community guidelines. Retrieved from
https://help.instagram.com/477434105621119/
INSTAGRAM, INC. (2015b). How do I use hashtags? Retrieved April 2, 2015, from
https://help.instagram.com/351460621611097
INSTAGRAM, INC. (2015C). Our story: A quick walk through our history as a company.
Retrieved April 2, 2015, from https://instagram.com/press/
PIPHER, M. (1994). Reviving Ophelia: Saving the selves of adolescent girls. New York, NY:
Ballantine Books.
STETKA, B.S., & CORRELL, C. U. (2013, May 21). A guide to DSM-5. Medscape Psychiatry
& Mental Health, Retrieved April 3, 2015, from
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/803884_15
THE CENTER FOR EATING DISORDERS AT SHEPPARD PRATT. (2015). Anorexia nervosa.
Retrieved May 21, 2015 from http://eatingdisorder.org/eating-disorder-
information/anorexia-nervosa

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 119

 Appendix
If you or someone you know is currently struggling with these issues, help is available.

For SUNY Brockport students:

• Hazen Hall Counseling Center: (585) 395-2207
• [email protected]

For non-Brockport students in the United States:

• S.A.F.E. Alternatives (Self-Abuse Finally Ends) information line: 800-
DONTCUT (366-8288)
• National Eating Disorder Association: 800-931-2237 or 212-575-6200
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-TALK (8255)
• National Suicide Helpline: 800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
• Suicide Prevention Center Hotline: 877-727-4747

For further resources visit:

• nationaleatingdisorders.org
• teenlineonline.org/yyp
• adolescentselfinjuryfoundation.com/page18
• treatmentadvocacycenter.org/get-help/
• twloha.com/find-help/local-resources/

Dissenting Voices, v. 4, issue 1, Spring 2015 120