History Literature / Cut

* IllGirl: Becca is probably the closest example to the trope. She's tiny, perpetually pale, and dangerously anorexic - to the point of having suffered a ''heart attack'' that landed her in the hospital before the events of the story. [[spoiler:And another one during the story itself.]]

''Cut'' is a young adult novel written by Patricia [=McCormick=]. The heroine, Callie, cuts herself. The discovery of this particular habit by the school nurse has led to her admission to Sea Pines, an all-female psychiatric hospital that is called a "residential treatment facility" by the staff there. The patients are called guests and are sorted according to their issues. Those who have been admitted for treatment of eating disorders are called "guests with food issues." Junkies and alcoholics are "guests with substance issues" and the guests with behavioral issues are "assorted psychos," as Callie herself puts it. Guests are further sorted by Level based on behavior. Level Ones are new guests or guests exhibiting Inappropriate Behavior and are not allowed to go anywhere without an escort. Level Twos are guests who have accumulated ten points for Appropriate Behavior and are allowed limited privileges. Level Threes are guests who are about to graduate and "''are'' the escorts." The nurses are not called nurses, they are called attendants.

The entirety of this novel is written in second person, with Callie narrating to her psychiatrist, who she is required to see for Individual Therapy, which is basically set up to follow the traditional format of a Freudian psychotherapy session. The doctor sits on a chair with a sheet of paper and pen in hand while Callie sits on the FreudianCouch and... doesn't say a word. Callie, as well as cutting herself, has also remained completely mute for quite a while to the point where her roommate has nicknamed her S.T., for "Silent Treatment." Still, the reader finds out, little by little, exactly what Callie's psychological issues are.

* ItsAllMyFault: [[spoiler: Before the story, Callie was left to watch her sick younger brother while their parents went out, and he had a bad asthma attack that put him in the hospital. The guilt Callie feels over what she believed was her failure to prevent her brother from developing asthma is what drove her to start hurting herself.]]

* TheNineties: The story is implied to take place in this decade, due to the lack of computers and a mention of ''{{Series/Rescue911}}'' being on TV.

* TheNineties: The story is implied to take place in this decade, due to the lack of computers and a mention of ''{{Main/Rescue911}}'' being on TV.

* IllGirl: Becca is probably the closest example to the trope - she's tiny, perpetually pale, and dangerously anorexic - to the point of having suffered a ''heart attack'' that landed her in the hospital before the events of the story.

* IllGirl: Becca is probably the closest example to the trope - she's tiny, perpetually pale, and dangerously anorexic - to the point of having suffered a ''heart attack'' that landed her in the hospital before the events of the story. [[spoiler:There's also a male example in Callie's little brother Sam.]]

* TheReveal: Callie's self-harm tendencies and unwillingness to speak stem from [[spoiler: feelings of extreme guilt. She was left to watch her sick younger brother while their parents went out, and he had a bad asthma attack that put him in the hospital. She believes that she wasn't watching him closely enough to prevent the attack and this is the sole reason he developed asthma.]]

* TheReveal: Callie's self-harm tendencies and unwillingness to speak stem from [[spoiler: feelings of extreme guilt. She was left to watch her sick younger brother while her parents went out, and he had a bad asthma attack that put him in the hospital. Even though she gave him CPR and might have saved his life, she feels horrible for not having prevented the attack. She believes that her negligence is the sole reason her brother developed asthma.]]

* IllGirl: Becca is probably the closest example to the trope - she's dangerously anorexic, to the point of having suffered a ''heart attack'' that landed her in the hospital before the events of the story [[spoiler:and another during the story.]] There's also a male example in Callie's little brother Sam.

* TheReveal: [[spoiler: Callie was left to watch her younger brother while her parents went out, and he had a bad asthma attack that put him in the hospital. She now suffers from intense feelings of guilt, thinking that she didn't watch him closely enough to prevent the attack.]]

* InSeriesNickname: Many of the patients at Sea Pines have dubbed the facility "Sick Minds."
* InsistentTerminology: They are "guests", not patients, and Sea Pines is a "residential treatment facility", not a hospital.

* LadyLand: Every guest at Sea Pines is female, as well as each staff member.
* {{Mammy}}: Ruby, who is mentioned to be black, Callie's idea of the most trustworthy attendant, and acts as a maternal figure towards guests under her charge. She even calls Callie "honey child" a few times.
* TheNineties: Implied to take place then because of the lack of computers and the mentions of the show ''Rescue911''.
* SecondPersonNarration: "You" is her therapist.

* BechdelTest: Given that Sea Pines is LadyLand and that there are multiple conversations held by the guests and staff members pertaining to topics other than men, this passes. The only male characters who make an appearance are Callie's brother and father, and they don't talk to each other, which means that this book fails the reverse counterpart.

* SelfHarm: Callie engages in this and this is the reason for the plot.