Cutting and Self-Harm
Adolescents who cut themselves or engage in various other types of self-harming behavior often feel that their actions are very strange and unusual. Sometimes they are told that they are motivated by the desire to get attention. But in fact hurting themselves is their way of coping with difficult feelings. Self-harm occurs more often than one might think, and is usually done in private, with the hope that no one will ever find out about it. To explain self-harm, this entry defines the behavior and then discusses who engages in it and when, possible causes for this behavior, and how it can be treated.
What Is Self-Harm?
Self-harm can take several forms, including cutting various parts of the body, most often the forearms or legs; head banging; skin picking; taking pills; and burning. (Self-harm is sometimes called self-injury or self-mutilation. However, because "mutilation" implies a frightening degree of severity, the term does not accurately represent the behavior.) It often occurs along with thoughts of wanting to be dead and/or killing oneself. Yet self-harm is very different from making a suicide attempt. While suicide attempts involve a wish to die, a young adult who acts on the urge to self-harm does not intend to cause death.
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