Statistics 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?
cutting/she/needs/help
I am a mother of a 14 girl she is starting to cut the top of her fourarm , back part! she is seeing a specialist but I don’t know what I can do for her! Nobody thinks of the parent and what it does to them! some times that’s how I feal! I want my daughter to be ok but her behaivers are very hard to deal with!!!! How do I get her to STOP it????????
I was a cutter from the time I was in 6th grade until about 11th grade. Probably one thing that helped me stop was being put into a psychiatric hospital for a week..they teach you how to cope with feelings and everything else in a healthy way instead of destructive. Of course that only helps for a while, because after you are out of the hospital for a while the real world starts coming back at you and is hard to deal with. The best things you can do are, if you havent already, have her take a psychiatric evaluation from a therapist, try to talk to her and show her that you are there for her and you’ll listen to her side of the story without judgement..(a lot of times teens cut because they are unable to cope with emotions and depression and are unable to talk to their parents, this was the case with me as well), and try the psychiatric hospital. I still struggle with wanting to cut myself, even now, but I am better able to deal with it. Hope This Helps. Sorry It Is So Late! I just found this while doing research for a paper!
where can a person get help?
im a teenager..an uhmm… and i am a cutter.. i dont know how to stop!
if you are a teenager and think that your parents wont understand about you cutting, try going to your guidance counselor..they will most likely call your parents, like they did with me, but it will make it a little easier on you. they will probably refer you to see a therapist and have a psychiatric evaluation done..if you really need it, you can be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and honestly, it isnt as bad as it seems. I was actually very happy there..and it helps a lot and teaches you healthy ways of coping. i went through all of this, so i know what its like,..even after you get out of the psychiatric hospital..you may have relapses where you will feel so bad that you just feel like you have to do it..but if you do it afterwards, dont jus give up and start cutting again, let it go and start coping again the next day and try not to make it a habit. i started cutting when i was in th or 6th grade and cut up until i was 17 and i am 19 now..i still struggle with it sometimes, it is something that will never go completely away..but what i said in here to do helps a lot more than continuing to cut and not get help.
i cut i just got done cutin dont no y its so bad to do it cuz it makes me feel good inside
and im 12 i started win i was 6
Teenagers should never acquire the poor behavior of self cutting and self injury. It may dangerous for life. According to the survey it was concluded that 13 percent of teens and adolescents deliberately do self injury. The self injurious behavior arises due to the depression, stress or grief. Such troubled teens need more attention and moral support to overcome cutting nature. Parents can get valuable tips and suggestions from certified counselors to motivate under pressure children.
To the mothers out there, this is a hard thing to deal with. I have cut for almost 5 years and every time my mother finds out, it kills her. I don’t know how she deals with it but I know that with a child that cuts, sometimes all we want is someone to talk to, someone to care, someone to see that we need help. Teen years suck and can be very hard. No book, specialist, or website will ever tell you why it’s so hard because we all have our own problems. Cutting is addicting and as a 16 year old, I know that getting over an addiction like this is one of the hardest things to do.
im 13 i just started cutting 2 days ago.I see what people mean when they say physical pain doen’t hurt as bad at emotional pain. My boyfriend of 2 years just broke up with me! I’m very depressed and don’t know what to do! I wish I would stop! My best friend of like 5 years told me if I didn’t stop she wouldn’t be my friend anymore I dont know what to do anymore….