by Dr. Deborah Bauers

Created on: December 18, 2011

When parents first discover that a teenager has been cutting there is always the question of "Why?" which is often accompanied by the fear that the adolescent is considering suicide.  Most teens, however, do not self-injure with the idea of taking their lives. There is always the danger that a cutter will sever an artery and inadvertently cause unintentional death so cutting should always be considered a potentially life-threatening behavior even in the absence of suicidal thoughts. There are, however, some common factors that tend to motivate adolescents to cut. Being aware of what they are will arm you with the information needed to help you understand why your teenager may be cutting.

1. To fit in

Teenagers cut because they have friends or peers who are also cutting. Self-mutilation is often perceived, especially by younger teens, as a brave and dramatic display to show the world their level of emotional pain. Younger adolescents who are lonely or lack a healthy sense of self-esteem often cut to gain the attention of peers and to try to fit in socially.

2. To self-medicate

Adolescents who cut often describe the immediate feelings associated with the behavior as a momentary release from the pain of their emotions followed by brief feelings of relief. These are short-lived, however, because most teens experience subsequent shame and attempt to the hide the fact that they are cutting.

An act of self-mutilation is believed to be accompanied by a release of endorphins in the brain that mask pain and create a temporary sense of well-being. These endorphins are neurotransmitters that act like natural analgesics. The “feel-good” sensation that is created by cutting closely resembles what patients feel when they take narcotics to treat physical pain. Cutting is not a healthy way to naturally release endorphins into the body.

3. To self-punish

Self-mutilation is sometimes used by severely disturbed teens as a form of self-punishment or self-retribution due to prolonged feelings of guilt and/or shame.  Victims of sexual and physical abuse are at greater risk for cutting themselves as the result of blaming themselves for things, real or imagined, in their pasts. Teens who feel responsible for having been abused or molested use cutting as an act of aggression against themselves. Those who grow up in homes where performance and approval are enmeshed with conditional love, cut to punish themselves for failing to

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