Local Youth Pleads With Younger Brother To Stop Hitting Himself

“WHY? Why are you doing this to yourself” cries 12-year-old Michael Guinan, desperately trying to prevent his 8-year old brother Liam from repeatedly smacking himself in the face.

“Stop, please stop hitting yourself… stop hitting yourself!” he continued.

The situation in the Guinan household is not an isolated one. Across the country, dozens of younger brothers have taken to self-harm, with only their older siblings attempting to stop them.

In the Guinan family’s Dungarvan home, older brother Michael admits he has to stop his little brother from self-harming at least once a day, maybe more if there’s nothing on telly and it’s a really boring day.

Michael told WWN that he does his best to help his brother by grabbing his hand and pleading with him to stop, but sometimes Liam will just keep punching away at himself until their Mam shows up.

“I just want him to stop hitting himself, ” said Michael, described locally as a pup, “Sometimes he even does it with both hands, slapping himself on the cheeks while crying and moaning. No matter how much I tell him to stop, he just keeps at it until he starts crying for mam to come in, like a big baby”.

The elder Guinan brother also confided that sometimes Liam will hit himself twice for flinching.