Cutting: Self-Injury Facts & Statistics
2009 February 06 by: ScottSelf-Injury Behavior
Over the past year, one in five females and one in seven males have engaged in some form of self-injury type behavior. The growing concern of “cutting” is now on the forefront of many mental health agencies, schools and youth leaders concerns for young adults today. This article provides the reader with some basic facts and statistics on this interesting, but often scary topic.
The “Cutting” Edge Facts
- 90% of self-injury individuals begin harming themselves during their teen years or younger.
- Cutting and other self-injury behavior crosses all cultures and socio-economic norms.
- Cutting and self-injury is a method used by individuals to take care of themselves, their feelings and actions.
- 40% of all individuals who commit self-injury type behaviors are males.
Almost 50% of cutters or self-injury individuals have reported being sexually abused. - Almost 50% of self-abusers begin at the age of 14 and continue into their 20’s.
- Some studies indicate that cutting and other self-injury behavior is learned from friends or peers.
Go to Ask A Counselor to find out what to do if your child is cutting.
I am doing a report on this topic for school. Where did you get your statistics from? I would like to use them in my presentation but cannot use information from a .com website.
Thank you
i cut myself…and it’s the hardest thing to stop. i’m addicted to it. But now, i don’t want to stop.
i know the feeling all to well of what youre talking about.
Hey Natalie, have you talked to anybody about this before now? if not and you’d like some help please contact me at aaron@revivethecity.org and I will do my best to get you the best help I can.
Hello, i am also doing a synopsis report on self-mutilation. This was good info, thank you. Your piture is ewwie though. Its ok because i cut myself and i see it everyday. Lol
What is the ethical practice for school counselors who work with students engaging in cutting behavior?
Vivian:
Two ethical standards of practice need to be considered while assisting a minor (17 years of age or under) who is cutting:
1) Teaching and Education- A school counselor’s role, similar to all educators, involves teaching and education. Cutters are searching for strategies to reduce emotional pain. That’s where we, school counselors, begin to go to work!
2) Referral and out of school assistance- Due to the fact that we are assisting minors in a situation where they are harming themselves, we are obligated to contact the parent or guardian. Educating parents about cutting is important. Chronic cutters often need assistance beyond the scope and practice of a school counseling. Encouraging parents to contact their medical doctor for further assistance is not only ethical, but a must.
Thanks for your question!
Scott
ScottCounseling.com
i cutt when i was 11 and did not stop untill i was 14 thank you ZCS for you help.
Thanks for sharing Rebecca. Can you or someone else share what ZCS is.
Thanks!
Scott
ScottCounseling.com
I starting cutting at age 14, that was after years of biting my nails until they bled and pulling out my hair. I’m 39 now and though I cut less often it is still a problem for me.
I have been in and out of counseling several times, but that in itself has never really helped.
God can heal all these problems
my best friend and i both are active with different forms of self-injury. im really worried about my friend more than i am worried about myself. my friend feels the same way about me. is there some sort of a group therapy or counseling session we could both attend for teens?
Ernie:
Thanks for the question regarding cutting. Yes, there are treatment facilities and counseling centers that offer support groups. For example: dial 1-800-dontcut for cutting treatment centers located by you.
This Website also offers help specifically for cutting:
http://www.treatment-center.com/
Finally, contact your medical doctor (or your health insurance company) who will refer you to a specialist in this are.
Act today…it’s good to get help!
Scott
ScottCounseling.com
What if I don’t want to stop cutting? I have been in the hospital twice, the second time was because I almost died from overdosing. I don’t want to die anymore, but everyone is making me stop cutting when I don’t want to. Shouldn’t it be my choice??
Dear Scared & SC Readers:
No one who loves you, and I am sure there are many, wants you to end your emotional pain or fear by replacing it with physical pain.
Readers…your thoughts?
Scott
ScottCounseling.com
i cut myself…i hate myself..i dont know y i do it..i dont know if i m happy or sad…i m so confused..i need help…but i dont think i want any….c wt i mean?
When I was 13 I started cutting because I hated myself. I had been molested for years as a child and I hated myself for it. Now I (sorta) understand that it wasn’t my fault but I still can’t stand myself. I don’t eat but I’m still fat and that makes me mad so I cut open all the spots on my body that I don’t like. The cutting makes me feel better but the scars make me hate my body even more. Thus more starving, more dissapointments, and MORE cutting. It’s a circle. But what I don’t understand is what I’m supposed to try to stop doing first??? Should I try and quit everything at once?? And how?! I’m so confused and sick of it all
I am sixteen, and have been cutting since age twelve. I honestly Am not sure why I started cutting but as far as stopping, I don’t see it in my near future.. I like it, it helps me cope no a days. I have also gotten into alot of things in the last year or so as far as SI goes. I dont know if I feel as ADDICTED as it sounds but, i cant stop. However, I would like to know if there is a number I can call so I can talk to someone about it. Free please(:.
Um…i cut…and im addicted to cutting, and i see nothing wrong with it…it actually makes me feel better and keeps me from killing myself…plus cutting, is how we show the scars on the inside that ppl have givin us…idk cutting is attracting…and is kool to see on ppl…plus cutting takes away my stress and when im depressed, it gets things off my mind…and when you have parents who tell you they don’t care…ya it helps a lot to cut…idk i wouldn’t say don’t do it… i would say do it…cause it helps…better then drugs anyway…
Jared:
You may feel that your parents don’t care..and maybe they don’t. The fact is, there are other who do! There are also other ways to help you cope with things you need “help with” beside cutting or self-injury.
Using cutting to make yourself feel better is like using a one inch bandage on a wound that needs 100 stitches; the bandage is not enough.
There are literally thousands of individuals who have stopped cutting by:
1) Schedule and see a medical doctor- you would do this if you had a high fever!
Do it for your depressed situations.
2) Speak with your school counselor or out-of-school counselor. Talk with a youth or church/religious counselor- you would see your dentist for a tooth ache, see a counselor for the emotional pain you are experiencing.
I started cutting at 15 and was finally free from it a few months ago at 20. My mother is bipolar and very controlling. On her meds, she was your average control freak. Off her meds, she became abusive. My way of controlling my life was cutting. I loved to decide how big, how deep, and where to do it.
The first step in escape is to tell someone, anyone. This does not mean you must stop right away, but now you have someone to talk to about it when you do it, or even call on before you do it.
I was 18 when I finally told someone. 2 years later I was able to stop without being forced. I actually wanted to stop. Getting someone else’s input, someone with an open mind who won’t run screaming into the night, can make all the difference.
i used to cut well i still do but hardly. its harder then it looks to stop its an addiction.
I cut for seven years after being sexually abused by my boyfriend for a year. It sounds silly, I know, but I quit “cold turkey” because I told the people around me what was happening and as much as I hated it I made them remove the resources. Granted I’m sure that strategy won’t necessarily work for everyone but if you really truly want to stop hurting yourself try choosing one person that you really trust and talk to them about it. A sibling, a best friend, whomever. If they care about you (and I’m certain they do) they’ll do whatever it takes you help you. And if you want to talk about it, you can talk to me too.
My email is hegan@worcester.edu. I hope I helped!
If I make it through tomorrow, it will be eighteen months without breaking my skin. I’ve never felt so empty in my life. Injuring myself doesn’t fix anything; neither does not hurting myself. The counselors tried to tell me other ways I could hurt myself without maiming myself. I don’t want another crutch, but then again, I clearly don’t know what I want.
My only caution to others is be careful whom you tell: I talked with an RA and was sent to the dean’s office and potentially kicked out of school. It was the most detrimental experience of my life. Now I don’t feel comfortable talking to even my best friends when I’m upset. I don’t talk, I don’t cut, I just don’t.
Kyl:
The cutting addiction, like other addictions is often challenging and difficult to beat. The fact that you have gone 18 months without cutting is outstanding. The empty feeling you are going through may be depression. Over 40 million American have or will go through some level of depression sometime during their life time. Only a medical doctor can diagnose depression. Depression is treatable. I know you may not feel like talking with someone, but please speak with a medical doctor who will help you to feel better about life and get you through this “empty” feeling you are experiencing.
Scott
ScottCounseling.com
This site seems like a good place for teens to go when confused or lost. I am 31 now I dont cut anymore but I did cut for about 8 or 9 years. I stopped when I was 20 when my now ex-husband said he would leave me if I didnt. So i did. It wasnt easy at all! But if I had something to go to like this back then maybe I would have stop long before that.Great idea!!!
I’ve been trying to stop cutting for quite awhile, but i always screw up. I have gone 4 months at the most. But somehow i just cant kick this habit. It’s so hard. At times, i want to stop and other i tell myself whats the point I;m going to end up cutting in the end. I have been doing since i was 16, now 23. Its still a struggle. I was raped by my ex at 16 thats when i started. But im havent been with him for a long time. I have gone to a counseler just this year, but not during the summer b/c of school is out.
I know how you feel except i was abused from the time I was 7 to 13 years old by an older cousin. You just need to find ways to keep your mind off of it.
It’s not easy to stop. My situation was very much like yours and I didn’t stop until 5 years after I finally got the courage to leave him. I know I’ve offered before but if you want to speak to someone that has been through the situation PLEASE feel free to contact me, I have AIM (Lilhays08) and MSN Messenger (caerulea_anastasia@hotmail.com) or you can just email me at hegan@worcester.com. If you don’t want to thats alright to, but please remember, there IS hope.
I am currently a self harmer and going through a state of depression. I have previously self harmed in the past but went 2 years with minor slip ups with out cutting, now recently with an episode with my parents I strayed back to it and now once again I am finding it so difficult to stop.
Before I managed to quick by myself, but now I’m finding far more difficult. Due to a bad experience a couple of weeks ago which resulted me getting stitches in my wrist made me realise that I really needed to stop. I’ve probably been feeling more low than I have ever done before and I’ve never told any body this but I once took an over dose because I just wanted to end it all. Now simply I don’t know how I feel any more or even what I want.
Next monday will be my first counciling session and I’m really scared about it. I find it very difficult to talk about my feelings and rarely show my emotions apart from through self injury. A part of me wants to stop yet a huge part of me wants to carry on. To be truthly honest I’m scared to be alone most of the time because I’m afraid I’ll do something I’ll regret. Some times I feel crazy!
The good thing about counseling is you don’t HAVE to talk about it right away. I didn’t talk to my therapist for about a month about self injury. Instead when I first started going to see him we talked about other things like politics or current affairs. Anyway, I hope it went well, and I hope whatever yo talked about was what you needed most at the time.
um… i have been cutting for a long time starting when i was in the seventh grade untill a couple months ago.
i started because i wanted to fit in with my friends it seems really stupid now but i just couldnt stop! i tryed servel times.. i never cut so deep that it scared very much, but when my parents are fighting and my brother is a pain in my butt , i lost it and cut VERY deep i have very sever depression and never had help i deal it with myself by cutting.
it got so bad i was cutting everyday, you could say one word and i was sprilling out of control.
it WAS controling my life, i had to wear long sleave everyday,, and in texas it is way to hot to do that.
my brother found out that i was self harmming and told my dad and he just said i was stupid for doing it and that only people that have problems cut.
YES! dad people with problems cut; i have problems!!
he still has yet to do anything!
i am afriad i am going to slip up during the school year high school is not the easiest thing ever..
i need to get over this it is still controling my life!
There should be non profit counselors or people that self harmers can go to. My mother just got mad and yelled at me when she found out, she told me she was going to send me away to an asylum and to stop wallowing in self pity. I guess i understand where she is coming from, my parents work their asses of for my family and i guess they feel like when i cut im being ungrateful. Yet at the same time i don’t care, i don’t want to stop, i don’t feel sad or happy about it im indifferent. I would just like someone to talk to so i could try to understand why i cut. That is what confuses me the most i have never been able to find a reason, i have a fair life, no abuse or anything like that. I just cut, its been three years, ive gotten so good at hiding it, all i want is to find out why. Why do i cut? I just need someone to help me find it out, i can’t go to a doctor alone, you need a parent and there is no way i can ask my mother to take me. I feel like its not fair on them, yet at other times when i go to her crying about how i just feel empty and overwhelmed… she just tells me to stop feeling sorry for myself. I try to be strong and support my friends(one of my friends father just passed away) i don’t like to complain, because in all truth i have nothing to complain about. My friends need my help not someone who can’t deal. I don’t cut because i have problems, i just enjoy it, but i don’t know why. I feel so confused there has to be someone, a professional or someone i can go to that my parents don’t have to know or pay for.
wow! Lillian, you just described my life situation in detail almost to the exact last year! stuff got a lot worse though and long story short after a suicide attempt i ended up in psychiatric hospital. Please get help. if your like me, you dont want to because, like you said, you dont want to be a complainer since in other peoples eyes your life is fine. no real abuse. but you ARE HURTING. you probably have depression problems like me. and you cant control that! its a severe medical condition! if you had diabetes you wouldnt deny your self insulin would you? so dont deny yourself the help you need whether its SSRIs, counseling or whatever the docs tell you. My mom did not understand depression and niether does your mom. its not something you can snap out of just like that. while i was in treatment we had family therapy sessions bi-weekly. My mom had a chance to learn about my condition, and now im home and me and her have aa much better relationship. she understands that i have a condition, and takes me to a therapist every week. she talks to me and my mom for a few minutes and then just me. As, for self mutilation, im still trying to get over that. lifes sucks but there are things you can do. Talk to your school psychologist or your school counsilor. they’re more educated in this field than your mom is. Hope i helped. and remember your not the only one.
self injury scars seem to be the most persistent scars ever; although the cutting has stopped and things got eventually “better”, the ruined arm constantly reminds me of how awful things were and prevent me from living my life in a “good” way. just depressing to see that they dont seem to go away. so anyone whos reading this: my advice: never inflict permanent damage to your body. there will be unchangeable regrets… which makes you feel even worse
I started cutting when I was 12. My parents found out, sent me to therpy. i stopped cutting so that they would shut up about the whole, becasue it’s really NOT a big deal at all. It didn’t really help me…my parents won’t let me talk to the friend that told me about cutting in the first place. That’s only making me want ot go back. Now they think that I’m going to do drugs, drink, and be a whore.
Cutting is not easy to stop, in-fact its anything but, the pain on the outside is easier to deal with than pain on the inside, taking several pain killers take away the pain of the cut, but they cant take away the emotional pain, and its addictive. i have bee cutting since i was 14, and i’m 17 now, and i have tryed to stop, but i just find other ways to convert the pain, and to be fair, most of those are worse.
i cut myself…i hate it but its an addiction i wish i could stop but…i dont know i just cant. no one knows about it but me and my best friend …it doesnt really help by her knowing because she doesnt try to help and when i bring the subject up she just changes the subject. i told her because iv known her since kindergarten and i can trust her with anything. but i dont think she likes the thought of me cutting myself and just doesnt want to talk about it…i want and need to tell my mom but im not sure how to tell her or how she will react …it scares me for people to know cause i think they will think im crazy or treat me diffrent… im only a teen and that sucks… :/
i am 20, i started cutting when i was 11. from 5th grade until now. im a sophmore in college. its not an easy thing to over come. once you start your life will never be the same. and regardless of how long you go without it, the scars will always be there are a reminder of the pain. i go to college in NC, it gets very hot. i always wear long pants and as soon as the temperature drops to about 70 i will be in long sleeves because it bothers me alot to always have people stairing at my scars. i know those who read this will wonder why i didnt go to a school with colder weather…well i did. i confided in someone and when i had a relaps they called 911 & i was taken involuntarily to the ER. i went to a very small college of 900 students. as soon as this person said something to one person, everyone knew. i had to leave. dealing with life as a self-injurer is never easy. thats when you have a choice…. dealing with how everyone will see you or continuing to cut.
cutting isnt an addiction its a way for a true cutter to release pain depression abuse thats y and once you have started to cut its hard to stop bc thats all you know every little thing upsets you and you feel the need to cut i should know i was a cutter am a cutter that lable never goes away but I havent cut in 2 yrs and still going strong and hopefully i never will
I want to talk to someone about my cutting, but if I tell my school they’ll send me away. I love my life, parents, family, friends, church, everything, but I cut myself still I don’t know why I do it, but it makes me feel better about myself. It makes me feel strong like, “hey, look at the kind of pain I can handle.”
I feel the same way. And yet, I feel like it’s an addiction. I still don’t know how to handle it.
through God anything is possible. Cast your burdens on the Lord for he cares about you. He got me though this and He can with you too. Just let him in.
Look up music like:
tenth avenue north
Skillet
Toby Mac
Pillar
Casting Crowns
Kutless
I have cut before. My friend and I struggle. But I keep wantint to go back to it, although I know I shouldn’t. What do I do??
i needed an escape. and it was the friend that was always there for me. it was a daily thing for years. then i slowly starting to make myself stop.
i loved it though. it was everything to me. to see the scars made me proud. and i wanted to show them off. i didnt though. for fear of what someone would think.
my veins ached to bleed. i began to be able to feel my blood pulse through my veins.
and it wanted out.
ive stopped cutting but my mind goes back to it more than anyone would imagine.
its like i miss it. the friend i always had. the thing that was always there for me.
my scars are fading and that makes me sad. its part of me and i like the remembrance of it etched into my skin
I am 20 years old and have been cutting for about 7 years now, the longest stint i have gon through with out cutting was 10 months. i cut myself after an incident with someone else a few weeks ago, the cuts have healed, the scars are beginning to fade, but the problem with the addiction part of it is i dont really want them to heal, i always want to make new cuts, i want something to treat, something to dress, a secret to hide. It’s hard to explain, it is very difficult at times to resist the impulse to cut; however i have found god and since having that influence in my life it is a little easier to say no to those urges. but they are still there, at my peak i was cutting 2-3 times in a day, this went on for months. now i go more than 6 months in between crashes. I am proud of the progress i have made. i sympathise with cutting, i do not believe it is “wrong” or that anoyoone is “bad” for doing it, there are better ways to cope, and it can be over come.also its not just desperation that leads to cutting, i have cut because i was too happy and needed to come back to reality, because i was bored, or angry, there were times i would look for an excuse to carve up myself. just because you fall and start again doesnt mean you have failed. its just a relapse, you can get back on track again.
what helps me is to rationalise my feelings and thoughts. is it really going to matter in the next week? day? a few hours from now? or wheni feel utter desperation i try to find something distracting..,. movie, sleep, friends, internet, videogames, going out to eat, or just going for a walk. Find a person you can talk about your problems to, or write them down (you can tear these up afterwards
,its liberating) all these help.
i’m still on the road to recovery, i have no idea how long it will take me to get there, and i do step off sometimes, the important thing is to get back on the road. There are many sites and different assosiations out there that an help you stop. Thank you. If you have any questions you can feel free to E-mail me Libralynn1013@hotmail.com
Hello Scott. I was wondering if there are any statistics on ages younger than 12 or 13… I’ve been cutting since i was 9. I wonder everyday if there are others like me.
I started cutting early in the 8th grade. It was to deal with alot of emotional pressure. Now I just do…. I’ve been labeled “Emo” at my school, but no one even knows I cut. I cut on my upper arm and shoulder so I can still wear short sleeve shirts.I don’t do it often, but it’s getting more frequent. But, I like it. I don’t know why… but it’s appealing…
I’ve been a Cutter for 8 years. I began in the 5th grade and have been trying to stop for about 5 years now. But I can’t seem to stop. I’m addicted to it like many of you have said. I once stoped for 179 days. Then relapsed after a few weeks at College. I’m a freshmen this year and don’t do well with change, and college is a HUGE change. I always thought i’d be able to stop once i got to college, but aparently not. right now i’m one day into recovery again. before that it was 21 days. I hope to make more progress.
I’m doing a report on cutting the physcology behind it and ways to prevent it and I would like to ask permission to use a few of these entries as quotes in my story.
Please and thank you
Im 14 and ive been cutting for 2 years now … Cutting is hard to stop ive been in re-hab 4 times already .. and managed not do it anymore .. my girlfriend really helped me alot with it too .. she was nice and helpfull sometimes made me feel like she cared but .. then she broke up with me .. we had been dating for a year .. and it was hard to let her go .. especially to see her with another guy … alot of us dont like to share or talk to ppl about it .. but it does help and make a diffrence .. talk to a friend, cousin ..etc.
My daughter used to cut herself. She says that she started after hanging around with some “emo” kids. Apparently, these kids told her that cutting was part of emo. They really did a number on my daughter. She is recovering, but people would be wise to avoid these emo kids. Take a look at emodanger.co.cc for more information.
Ok so your daughter hung out with “emo” kids. But the “emo” kids didnt make her cut herself. Don’t blame them for her problems. Yes they may have given her the idea. But in the end SHE made the decision.
I’ve cut for four years and I’ve been “clean” for 2months. It’s something that never leaves you and never lets you go. You feel the temptation to do it the rest of you’re life, and I know that. I’ll go for months, up to 10 once, without a single cut, and then it’s like that Malboro at midnight that you just HAVE to have, and it sneaks right back in. I never went to a hospital for this, I had a life that I didn’t want to ruin. I didn’t want to hurt the people that loved me. I read most of the comments and that’s something I never saw mentioned. Cutting isn’t just about teenage angst and all that, it’s about dealing with a situation that you find no other way to deal with…is it healthy? no. is it safe? No. Is it managable? Yes, one step at a time. Social support is useful, you need to know that people love you and care what happens to you. People say to love another, you have to love yourself first. Well, that’s a lie. I don’t love me, I’m usually pretty at odds with myself, but I love other people. I love a lot of people and I know that what i do to myself matters to them, and i don’t want to hurt them, and sometimes….just sometimes, that’s what it takes.
I’m doing an article on this subject for my schools newspaper, your info was useful =]