Willow Smith is a true Renaissance young woman whose talent everything from music to fashion and beyond. However, it is through her activism that fans get to experience the true heart of an angel. Recently, Smith has started to use her voice in order to help those young boys and girls who struggle with self-harm.
The 18-year-old revealed her own experiences with self-harm when she appeared on the May 2018 episode of “Red Table Talk” with her mother and grandmother.
“I think by far [the hardest episode to film] would had to have been the episode where I was talking about my self-harm,” Smith told Essence Magazine in a new interview for her cover story. “I mean nobody wants to come out and tell the whole world about that but I felt that was very important for other girls or boys that are going through that as well for me to come out and talk about my life. I think the most surprising thing I’ve learned being on the show is that no matter what you go through, no matter how dark that is in your past or in your childhood or the things that you went through. You can come out amazing and still do even more and be even more successful.”
According to mentalhealthamerica.net, self-injury occurs when someone intentionally or repeatedly harms themselves. The most common methods are—cutting, head banging, and burning. Other forms of self-injury are—excessive scratching to the point of drawing blood, punching self or objects, infecting oneself, inserting objects into body openings, drinking something harmful (like bleach or detergent), and breaking bones purposefully.
Smith confided in her family during the May show that she, “…was just plunged into this black hole and I was like cutting myself… totally lost my sanity for a moment there.”
As many as 4% of adults in the United States self-injure; however, rates among adolescents are higher. Approximately 15% of teens reporting some form of self-injury. Self-injury among college students is higher, with rates ranging from 17%-35%. If you are in need of help, or no someone that is, text CONNECT to 741741 in the U.S. You do not have to suffer in silence anymore.
