Teens who engage in self-injury are becoming more common -- and may be engaging in this behavior as an escape from stress and pressure -- similar to the emotions that often lead to teen substance abuse.
- Adolescent selft-harm usually starts between the ages of 11 to 15 years old.
- Between 4 and 38% of teenagers are cutters.
- Boys are more likely to burn themselves and girls are more likely to use knives and razors.
- The behavior seems to be increasing among young people; for example, a study at one university found the number of students who injure themselves doubled between 1997 and 2007.
"The vast majority of people who report non-suicidal self-injury are not trying to end their lives -- they are trying to cope with life," said Janis Whitlock, a researcher at Cornell University who studies this behavior. "People use self-injury in a lot of ways that other people use drugs or alcohol or food or sex -- to try to feel better in the short run."
Labels: alcohol, drug_use, self-harm
Posted By: By Parents For Parents