How to Help Teens Who Cut Themselves

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Constitutes Self-Harm?CausesWhat Parents Can DoHow to Get Help

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

What Constitutes Self-Harm?

Causes

What Parents Can Do

How to Get Help

Close

Cutting is a form of self-injury that involves using sharp objects such as knives, razor blades, or scissors to make cuts, marks, or scratches on the body.

It can be hard to imagine why anyone would want to cut themselves or hurt themselves on purpose. And for parents who discover their teen is engaging in self-injury, it can be confusing, terrifying, and downright frustrating.

Self-harm can be fairly common among teens. Studies consistently estimate that 15 to 20% of teens harm themselves at one time or another.Fortunately, with support, most teens learn healthier coping skills and stop self-injury.

Self-harmdescribes any deliberate action intended to cause physical pain. Adolescent males engage in this behavior too, but it is most often females who hurt their bodies in an attempt to deal with difficult feelings or situations.Cuttingor scratching the skin with razor blades or other sharp objects is the most common form of self-injury.

Other ways to self-harm include:

Why Do Teens Cut Themselves?

Teens who hurt themselves aren’t crazy and their self-injury doesn’t mean they’re suicidal. Instead, it just means they’re having trouble coping with their pain in a healthy manner.

The physical act of hurting their bodies provides a temporary sense of emotional relief. A teen who cuts himself (or burns himself) begins to focus on the injury as the reason for the pain.

It also provides a sense of control. A teen who engages in self-injury is likely to feel like they can control the pain better. In addition, the injury releases endorphins into the bloodstream, which also provides a temporary boost of mood.

So a stressed-out teen may cut their arms as a way to relieve stress. Or a teen who is struggling to deal with a breakup may cut their chest as a way to experience physical pain, as opposed to just emotional pain.

If you or your teen are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or your teen are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat988for support and assistance from a trained counselor. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

How to Help a Teen Who Self-Harms

You may see scratches or cuts on a teen who is engaging in self-injury. You might notice bandages or your teen may wear long sleeves or cover their body even when it’s hot outside.

If you suspect your teen is deliberately injuring themselves, it’s important to intervene. These steps can help you start a discussion and find them theprofessional helpthey need.

With early identification, support from their family, and professional assistance, they can successfully stop self-harming.

Online Therapy Services for Kids and Families, Tried and Tested

A mental health professional can evaluate your child and diagnose underlying medical conditions such as anxiety, depression, or bipolar disorder.

Treatments may include psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of the two. Types of therapy that might be used include:

Medications may also be prescribed to treat symptoms of anxiety or depression. SomeLexapro(escitalopram),Prozac(fluoxetine),Cymbalta(duloxetine), andZoloft(sertraline).

It is important to note that all antidepressants have an FDA black box safety warning about an increased risk of suicide in young people under the age of 25.

6 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Self-harm.Monto MA, McRee N, Deryck FS.Nonsuicidal self-injury among a representative sample of us adolescents, 2015.Am J Public Health. 2018;108(8):1042-1048. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304470Martin J, Bureau JF, Yurkowski K, Fournier TR, Lafontaine MF, Cloutier P.Family-based risk factors for non-suicidal self-injury: Considering influences of maltreatment, adverse family-life experiences, and parent-child relational risk.J Adolesc. 2016;49:170-80. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.03.015Plener PL, Schumacher TS, Munz LM, Groschwitz RC.The longitudinal course of non-suicidal self-injury and deliberate self-harm: a systematic review of the literature.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2015;2:2. doi:10.1186/s40479-014-0024-3Bettis AH, Liu RT, Walsh BW, Klonsky ED.Treatments for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in youth: Progress and challenges.Evid Based Pract Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2020;5(3):354-364. doi:10.1080/23794925.2020.1806759Clarke S, Allerhand LA, Berk MS.Recent advances in understanding and managing self-harm in adolescents.F1000Res. 2019;8:F1000 Faculty Rev-1794. doi:10.12688/f1000research.19868.1

6 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Alliance on Mental Illness.Self-harm.Monto MA, McRee N, Deryck FS.Nonsuicidal self-injury among a representative sample of us adolescents, 2015.Am J Public Health. 2018;108(8):1042-1048. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304470Martin J, Bureau JF, Yurkowski K, Fournier TR, Lafontaine MF, Cloutier P.Family-based risk factors for non-suicidal self-injury: Considering influences of maltreatment, adverse family-life experiences, and parent-child relational risk.J Adolesc. 2016;49:170-80. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.03.015Plener PL, Schumacher TS, Munz LM, Groschwitz RC.The longitudinal course of non-suicidal self-injury and deliberate self-harm: a systematic review of the literature.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2015;2:2. doi:10.1186/s40479-014-0024-3Bettis AH, Liu RT, Walsh BW, Klonsky ED.Treatments for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in youth: Progress and challenges.Evid Based Pract Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2020;5(3):354-364. doi:10.1080/23794925.2020.1806759Clarke S, Allerhand LA, Berk MS.Recent advances in understanding and managing self-harm in adolescents.F1000Res. 2019;8:F1000 Faculty Rev-1794. doi:10.12688/f1000research.19868.1

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Alliance on Mental Illness.Self-harm.Monto MA, McRee N, Deryck FS.Nonsuicidal self-injury among a representative sample of us adolescents, 2015.Am J Public Health. 2018;108(8):1042-1048. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304470Martin J, Bureau JF, Yurkowski K, Fournier TR, Lafontaine MF, Cloutier P.Family-based risk factors for non-suicidal self-injury: Considering influences of maltreatment, adverse family-life experiences, and parent-child relational risk.J Adolesc. 2016;49:170-80. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.03.015Plener PL, Schumacher TS, Munz LM, Groschwitz RC.The longitudinal course of non-suicidal self-injury and deliberate self-harm: a systematic review of the literature.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2015;2:2. doi:10.1186/s40479-014-0024-3Bettis AH, Liu RT, Walsh BW, Klonsky ED.Treatments for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in youth: Progress and challenges.Evid Based Pract Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2020;5(3):354-364. doi:10.1080/23794925.2020.1806759Clarke S, Allerhand LA, Berk MS.Recent advances in understanding and managing self-harm in adolescents.F1000Res. 2019;8:F1000 Faculty Rev-1794. doi:10.12688/f1000research.19868.1

National Alliance on Mental Illness.Self-harm.

Monto MA, McRee N, Deryck FS.Nonsuicidal self-injury among a representative sample of us adolescents, 2015.Am J Public Health. 2018;108(8):1042-1048. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2018.304470

Martin J, Bureau JF, Yurkowski K, Fournier TR, Lafontaine MF, Cloutier P.Family-based risk factors for non-suicidal self-injury: Considering influences of maltreatment, adverse family-life experiences, and parent-child relational risk.J Adolesc. 2016;49:170-80. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.03.015

Plener PL, Schumacher TS, Munz LM, Groschwitz RC.The longitudinal course of non-suicidal self-injury and deliberate self-harm: a systematic review of the literature.Borderline Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2015;2:2. doi:10.1186/s40479-014-0024-3

Bettis AH, Liu RT, Walsh BW, Klonsky ED.Treatments for self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in youth: Progress and challenges.Evid Based Pract Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2020;5(3):354-364. doi:10.1080/23794925.2020.1806759

Clarke S, Allerhand LA, Berk MS.Recent advances in understanding and managing self-harm in adolescents.F1000Res. 2019;8:F1000 Faculty Rev-1794. doi:10.12688/f1000research.19868.1

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