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In my practice, I’ve noticed an increase in adolescents who are harming themselves by cutting, burning, pinching or abrading themselves. The research confirms this increase as well, unfortunately. Indeed, an estimated 14-17% of adolescents hurt themselves deliberately. So psychologists are wondering why there has been an increase.
For one thing, the behavior has gained more acceptance among peers and within our culture. Even pop stars are admitting that they’ve cut at some point in their lives (Princess Diana, Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie). Other researchers have found that while some teens do it just because it’s novel and maybe even a little mysterious, other teens are doing it in seearch of self-preservation - an attempt to remind themselves that they can physically or emotionally feel something.
But with an adolescent who is self-injuring, severe pathology and suicide is always a possibility and any teen engaged in this behavior should be seeing a professional. In fact, a study last year from New York’s Stony Brook Univeristy finds that 11% of self-injuring college students are at high risk for suicide attempts. Other research suggests that someone with a history of cutting is nine times more likely to make a suicide attempt than someone without one. So don’t ignore. When your teen is hurting themselves, get them some help.
