"I don't even know if you will know what I'm talking about. You're the first person that came to mind though so I thought it couldn't hurt to ask." He sighed.

"You have definitely peeked my interest Brian!"

Brian took a deep breath and began the story he had rehearsed. "I was standing in line at the market yesterday and I overheard the lady in front of me tell another lady her daughter is an 'SI'. I was just curious what an SI is. You seem to know a little bit about everything, so I thought you might know."

"Thanks for the compliment!" She laughed. "An SI? Did you know these ladies Brian?"

"No. Why?"

"I thought you might and that is why you're curious."

"Is it something bad Sam?" Brian asked hoping he didn't sound like he was panicking.

"I…" Sam wrinkled her brow. She had a feeling Brian wasn't talking about a random conversation, so she wanted to choose her words carefully. "I wouldn't exactly say it is a good thing Brian." She licked her lips. "It is not something incredibly heinous though either. Keep in mind I don't have any experience in the field of psychology. All I know about the condition is what I have seen on TV or read about in magazines."

"Psychology? So Sa" He stopped himself before he said Sasha's name. "Sam, this woman's daughter is…has a psychological problem?"

Samantha nodded slowly. "To an extent. 'SI' is a generalized term for 'self injury' like 'anorexia' is for eating disorders. People who SI engage in cutting or burning their skin, pulling their hair, they may interfere with wounds healing, sometimes they hit themselves, though I don't think that is as common as cutting. Basically, anything that causes harm to themselves as a way of coping with something that they feel is wrong in their lives." The look on Brian's face confirmed her suspicions that he was not asking about a conversation he had overheard. "People who self injure are not necessarily psychotic, suicidal or mentally disturbed, Brian." She tried to reassure him. "From what I have read, many people who SI were often abused as children, have been raped or have been through a traumatic experience where they were somehow injured physically or emotionally by someone else. They hurt themselves as a way of releasing the pain or rage they feel when confronted with the situation or memories of the experience." She sighed heavily. "I don't want to give you incorrect information Brian. Based on what I have read and heard, all I can really say is that someone who is an SI reminds me a lot of an anorexic. It is a way of controlling something in their lives that they feel powerless over." She put her hand on his leg. "If you are asking about someone you know personally then I should tell you that someone who is an SI is NOT someone to be afraid of. They would no more harm another person, than I would try to starve someone. It is a personal behavioral situation. It is NOT something they will do to someone other than themselves."

"Wow! This is not what I thought it was at all." Brian said running his hands through his hair. "I thought it was a cult of some kind!" He laughed nervously.

"No. It is not a cult." Samantha replied shaking her head. "In fact, another similarity between SI and anorexia is that the victims of both diseases will go out of their way to hide their disease. I could show you a line up of people and you probably not be able to pick out who was an SI and who wasn't."

"Thanks Sam. You've been a lot of help. I think I will do some research on the Internet now that I know what I am looking for."

Samantha went out on a limb. "We are talking about Sasha, aren't we?"