What is cutting and self-injury?
Self-injury is intentionally harming oneself, oftentimes with the objective of alleviating suffering. Examples of self-injury include cutting the skin with objects, scratching the skin, picking wounds so they can’t heal, biting or burning oneself, and more harmful instances that include hitting one’s head or breaking bones. Of the many types of self-injury, cutting is the most common. It damages the skin or other tissues, it is rarely associated with suicide attempts, and it is socially unacceptable. People who cut themselves may attempt to hide the marks or scars, and they may give false explanations for how they occurred (e.g., being scratched by a pet). Teens use many different items to cut (e.g., razor blades, scissors, pens, bottle tops, etc.), and it occurs in a variety of body locations (e.g., arms, legs, genital area, abdomen, etc.). Who is most likely to cut? Young people of all ethnicities, ages, and income levels intentionally harm themselves. Cutting is most common among ad
