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Study finds many graphic YouTube self-harm videos

YouTube videos on cutting and other self-injury methods are an alarming new trend, attract millions of hits and could serve as a how-to for troubled viewers, a study warns.

Many videos show bloody live enactments or graphic photos of people cutting their arms or legs with razors or other sharp objects, the study found. Many also glamorize self-injury and few videos discourage it, the study authors said.

They also feature haunting music and rich imagery that may attract young self-injurers and trigger the behaviour, especially in those who have just started to self-injure, the authors suggest.

Canadian psychologist Stephen Lewis, a study co-author, said he found more than 5,000 YouTube videos on self-injury. The study focused on 100 videos the authors found in December 2009. Their analysis was published online Monday in Pediatrics.

The 100 videos were viewed more than 2 million times and generated many online comments.

Parents and mental health professionals should be aware of the YouTube postings and that the videos might be perpetuating the problem, said Lewis, an assistant professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

The study's authors also recommended that YouTube provide helpful resources or links when people enter search terms for “self-injury.” A company spokeswoman said YouTube is looking into the feasibility of the suggestion.

She said the site has policies against graphic content and content that encourages dangerous activities. It relies on viewers to flag questionable videos, and a YouTube team reviews and removes those in violation of those policies. Self-injury videos are among those that have been removed.

Self-injury is most common among young people. Between 14 per cent and 24 per cent of teens and young adults have engaged in self-injury at least once, Lewis said. Cutting is among the most common methods.

Psychologist Tracy Knight, an associate professor at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Ill., is interviewed in a documentary-style YouTube video about cutting that has been viewed more than 14,000 times and generated more than 80 comments.

Knight said the video was done by a student and he didn't know it was on YouTube. The video's opening scenes include a young woman poking a sharp tool into her leg.

Knight said such videos may inadvertently trigger self-harm, but that YouTube also can serve a benefit by taking self-injury out of the closet and into the public realm.

“It makes it open for social discussion . . . in a way that was not possible when it was secret,” he said.

Lewis said therapists who treat self-injurers should consider asking their patients if they watch these videos and counsel them about possible effects. Parents, too, should be aware that kids may be watching the videos and discuss the issue with them, he said.

Self-injurers typically are struggling with feelings of anger, sadness, depression or other emotional troubles, and usually don't cut deep enough to cause major harm, said Barent Walsh, a therapist and author of a book on self-injury treatment.

Self-injuring “is oddly effective in reducing emotional distress” in people who have poor coping skills, Walsh said.

He said it's well-known that photos and websites about self-injury can trigger the behaviour in people who already self-injure or who are tempted to do it. But he said the study results are important and raise concerns that YouTube “may well be the most powerful influence of them all because of its nature.”

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Wine, spirits consumption on the rise in Canada: study

Homegrown producers and sellers of wine have another reason to raise a toast: a new study finds Canadians are downing more of the grape-based beverage with consumption expected to outpace the global average by 2014.

Commissioned by Vinexpo, the international wine and spirits exhibition, findings of the study released Thursday explored current trends and future projections in the international wine and spirits markets. It involved analyzing production trends in 28 countries and the evolution in consumption in 114 countries.

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Between 2005 and 2009, Canadians increased their wine consumption by more than 22.5 per cent, for a total of 40.4 million cases consumed in 2009. One case represents 12 bottles.

Red wine accounted for 60 per cent of all still light wine consumed in Canada in 2009, seeing 23 per cent growth between 2005 and 2009. But the popularity of rose is on the rise, seeing a 43.85 per cent increase to 1.391 million cases in 2009.

Consumption of spirits in Canada was up by 7.07 per cent over the period for a total 16.7 million cases, with the biggest surges seen in consumption of tequila and bourbon.

Between 2010 and 2014, consumption of still wine is expected to increase by 7.9 million cases in Canada, placing the country third after China and the U.S. for wine consumption growth over 10 years. Domestic wines are expected to see a 26 per cent increase during that period, translating into consumption of 14.6 million cases of locally produced wine.

Wine sales volumes are expected to grow in Canada by 19 per cent by 2014, compared to the expected average volume growth worldwide of 3.18 per cent.

Vinexpo chief executive Robert Beynat said Canada is a fast-growing market, but notes that the country doesn't consume as much per capita as some others.

“If you watch the per capita consumption, legal age drinking of course, you are (drinking an average of) around 12 litres per year, and 12 litres is nothing. It's less than a half-litre a week,” he said in a phone interview Thursday.

“But comparing, for example, to the U.K. they are not producers and they drink 23 litres ... and they are rising.”

While there had initially been concern surrounding what, if any, impact the economic crisis would have, Mr. Beynat said in the end, globally speaking, it didn't really affect consumption.

“People continued to drink — not exactly the same product — but continued to drink,” he said.

Mr. Beynat said during the economic crisis, wholesalers, distributors and retailers held off on buying and finished their inventory. Now as the stocks have emptied, companies are reordering and beginning to replenish their supplies, he noted.

Vinexpo will be held June 19-23 in Bordeaux, France.