Substance Abuse In Cut By Patricia Mccormick

Cut by Patricia McCormick is about a soft-spoken, shy, fifteen-year-old girl girl named Callie. Callie has been admitted into a treatment center called Sea Pines (although other residents would call it “Sick Minds”), a mental health facility because she self harms. It is assumed that the section that Callie is in is for young girls as none of the patients are male and one character mentions that is is 18. The book begins with Callie being told its up her to the talking and asked “Do you remember how it all started?” Callie then describes a day where she was a track meet and she wound up being in last, she didn't go t5o the end she instead cut through the woods she was running in to go home. At home no one was there. Callie went into the kitchen

Their problems are called issues. The girls with anorexia or compulsive eating are called guests with food issues. Those with drug addictions are called guests with substance abuse issues. Callie says “The rest, like me, are assorted psychos. We’re called guests with behavior issues.” The other girls in Group tend to sit by what issues they have. Food issues guests- Tara an anorexic girl who wears a baseball hat to cover a bald spot, and Becca another really skinny girl who came to sick minds from a hospital after she had a heart attack, and Debbie a really overweight weight girl who suffers from compulsive eating. The substance abuse guests- Sydney who callie says is addicted to every drug she's ever tried and Tiffany who came to sick minds to avoid going to jail for smoking

When she comes in she asks Callie to tell her what's on her mind and for the first time in the book Callie talks. Callie continues with talking in the therapy. One of the first important conversations they have is about Callie’s family. How Sam has asthma and because of that usually gets attention. Callie’s mom worries a lot about everything. Callie’s therapist asks Callie who took care of her when Sam was in the hospital and she said “I take care of myself.”

In the cafeteria Debby is clearly upset and she keeps eating pancakes. It is noticed that Becca is missing and Debby just says she is in the infirmary. A couple of days later Becca returns to group and for the most part everyone is mad at her. But Becca is very defensive and even asks if she can leave.

In another therapy session Callie talks about a very bad day with Sam, buts leaves a lot out. Sam and Callie were working on putting together a foosball table. During this Callie got very mad at Sam resulting in Sam getting sad and then having difficulty breathing. Callie does not talk about how no one was home at the time, although their dad was supposed to be. So Callie had to run down to the bar where her dad was because she didn't know what to do. Sam was taken away in an ambulance. Callies believes Sam’s condition to be her fault and her therapist tries to reassure her that is isn’t. That it was in Sam’s