Why do teens cut themselves?
Teens cut themselves or otherwise harm their bodies for a variety of reasons. Psychologist Jennifer Hartstein, PsyD, discusses why teens sometimes hurt themselves.
Transcript
We do have some teenagers that engage in self-injurious behaviors as a form of punishment. [MUSIC PLAYING]
Self-injury is a whole host of behaviors of which cutting is one part. So self-injury in teens can include picking at their skin
till it bleeds, picking at their cuticles, pulling off scabs, burning themselves, pulling out their hair, punching walls, anything
that creates some sort of tissue damage or bodily harm. And the reason that they engage in it is because it regulates their emotion.
This seems a little counterintuitive to us. If I'm feeling intense emotional pain, why would I want physical pain? Well, one replaces the other.
So if I'm feeling something super intensely and I can't handle it and I engage in some sort of self-injurious behavior,
it brings down the intensity of my emotion. If I'm feeling completely numb and not experience my emotion
and I engage in some sort of self-injurious behavior, I might feel more of that emotion. But it's a way to avoid the emotional impact
into something that's more physical and more manageable. We do have some teenagers that engage in self-injurious behaviors as a form of punishment
because they feel that they aren't good enough or their self-esteem isn't there or they feel that they aren't behaving or acting in the way that people
would expect of them. This isn't always the top number one choice. It's really more about emotion regulation. You don't always have to worry, also,
that your teens are suicidal because they are engaging in self-injuries behaviors, especially cutting. They are mutually exclusive, although some teens
do inadvertently kill themselves because they cut themselves too much. But generally, it's emotion regulation and a lack of coping skill in dealing
with the intense emotions they have. [WHOOSHES] [HEART BEAT THUMPS] [BEEPS]
teen health development
Browse videos by topic categories
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
ALL