What is Cutting & Self-Injury?
2009 February 09 by: ScottStatistics on teen cutting are hard to come by because so few studies have been done on the subject. In 2002, the British Medical Journal published an article that found 13 percent of British 15- and 16-year-olds purposely injured themselves. In the United States, best estimates indicate that one in every 200 girls between 13 and 19 years old, or one-half of one percent, cut themselves regularly. Those who cut comprise about 70 percent of teen girls who self -injure.
What Is Cutting or Self-Injury?
When an individual intentionally or purposely harms onesself by making scratches or cuts on his or her body, this behavior is called “cutting.” Cutting is one form of self-injury. Some people in the medical and mental health fields also include eating disorders as a form of self-injury.
Individuals who cut themselves on their wrists, arms, legs or bellies are often labeled as “cutters.” Cutting is not the only form of self-injury. Some individuals self-injure by burning their skin with the end of a cigarette or fire from a match.
Cutting and other forms of self-injury is becoming more and more popular in our society; this is especially true among teenage girls.
Kinds of Self-Injury
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Branding: Burning self with hot oject
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Skin Picking: Tearing or picking skin until there’s a wound
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Hair Pulling: Pulling hair from scalp
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Hitting: Punching self to cause bruises.
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Piercing: Polking self with needles.
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Chemical Burns: Drinking or using chemicals to burn self.
What Self-Injury is NOT
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Self-injury is not a bad attempt at suicide.
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Self-injury is not body art or body modification.
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Self injury is NOT just about getting attention.
ScottCounseling.com offers parents free online counseling services to answer all your parenting questions.
For further information, read: Why do individuals cut or self-injure?
