-- Some two million Americans intentionally injure themselves to cope with emotionally overwhelming feelings or situations. It's often called self-injury, or self-mutilation, or just "cutting." The Crisis Center in Birmingham says it's seen an increase in the number of middle-school-aged kids calling the crisis hotline to talk about cutting. Hotline volunteer Andrea Nelson says some of them are learning about it on a how-to-cut website.

Andrea Nelson is a volunteer on the kids help line at the Crisis Center in Birmingham. It may be hard to understand just what would drive a young person to cut themselves. 15-year-old Krista started cutting several years ago. Twice she was hospitalized in a psychiatric center. Krista now lives in a foster home and has stopped cutting. But like many people with an addiction, recovery is a constant struggle. For the final episode of our series Raise Your Voice, Krista prepared this audio diary.

Making Sense of Mental Health

North Country Public Radio -- produced the Raise Your Voice teen series

NPR Story: The History of Self-Mutilation

S.A.F.E. Alternatives: A Program for Self-Mutilators

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

'Bodies Under Siege' by Dr. Armondo R. Favazza