There is a reason, Ibelieve, that they write about their pain. And that reason is they wanthelp. Often I have added the telephone number of the student counselingcenter on the bottom of the page. But I never know what works and who actually getsthe help that is needed. I have noticed that unhappiness manifests itself differently bygender.
Girls tend toward self-criticism.
They write about how they arenever smart enough or pretty enough or thin enough. They may write howthey can't get along with their mothers or their roommates, but theirdespair is mostly directed at their own feelings of inadequacy, whichmanifests itself in eating disorders, promiscuity and depression. More frightening perhaps is that these unhappyboys have access to guns. An angry boy who wants to get back at someonecould call him names, slash his tires, throw a punch. I've thought about this a lot with regard to the recent rash of highschool killings and the publicity that surrounds them.