There's no one single or simple cause of self injury. The mix of emotions that drives some people to hurt themselves is complex. People who engage in self injury didn’t learn coping while growing up. So they turn to self injury to gain relief. Physical injury distracts them from painful emotions or helps them feel a sense of control over an otherwise uncontrollable situation.

For those who have feelings of emptiness or little emotion, self injury is a way to feel something, anything, even if it's physical pain. It also offers an external way to express internal distress and despair.

Self injury is sometimes associated with certain medical conditions, such as personality disorders, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and post traumatic stress disorders. In addition, self injury may occur in people who have developmental disabilities, such as autism and mental retardation.

It can be hard to understand why people cut themselves on purpose. Cutting is what experts call an unhealthy coping mechanism. This means that the people who do it have not developed healthy ways of dealing with strong emotions, intense pressure, or upsetting relationship problems.

There are lots of healthy ways to cope with difficulties, such as talking problems over with others; putting problems in perspective; and getting plenty of exercise. But people who cut haven't developed these skills. When emotions don't get expressed in a healthy way, tension can build up - sometimes to a point where it seems almost unbearable. Cutting may be an attempt to relieve that extreme tension. It's a confused way of feeling in control.

The urge to cut might be triggered by strong feelings the person can't express - such as anger, hurt, shame, frustration, or depression. Self injury might seem like the only way to find relief, or the only way to express personal pain over relationships or rejection.

People who self injure sometimes have other mental health problems that contribute to their emotional tension. Self injury is sometimes (but not always) associated with depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, obsessive thinking, or compulsive behaviors. It can also be a sign of mental health problems that cause people to have trouble controlling their impulses or to take unnecessary risks. Some people who cut themselves have problems with drug or alcohol abuse.

Some people who cut have had a traumatic experience, such as living through abuse, violence, or a disaster. Self injury may feel like a way of "waking up" from a sense of numbness after a traumatic experience. Or it may be a way of re-inflicting the pain they went through, expressing anger over it, or trying to get control of it.

Although intentional self injury can affect anyone, from pre adolescents to older adults, male or female and any race, certain factors may increase the risk that someone will engage in self injury, including:

Self injury is most commonly associated with cutting, which involves making cuts or scratches on your body. Cutting can be done with any sharp object, including knives, needles, razor blades or even fingernails. Most frequently, the arms, legs and front of the torso are the targets of self injury because these areas can be easily reached and easily hidden under clothing. Any area of the body may be subjected to self injury though.

Some people don't feel pain while they're hurting themselves, even when creating deep cuts. They will feel the pain later though. In that case self injury acts as a kind of numbing. Others do find self injury painful but welcome the pain as a punishment or as a distraction from emotional turmoil.

There are many types of self injury besides cutting. Someone may engage in one or more of them. Other types of self injury include:

With all the talk about it, cutting can almost seem like the latest fad. But cutting is a serious problem. About 1% of the United States population self injures.

Self injury is the act of deliberately destroying body tissue, at times to change a way of feeling. Self injury is seen differently by groups and cultures within society. This appears to have become more popular lately, especially in adolescents. The causes and severity of self injury can vary.

It’s frequently is an impulsive act. Self Injurers may become upset and spontaneously seek a way to hurt themselves, doing damage to their body. Other times, self injury may be inflicted in a controlled, methodical manner.

Self injury isn't the same as injury that arises from culturally sanctioned practices in some parts of the world, including scarring, piercing and tattooing, which historically have been considered forms of self mutilation. Self injury is distinguished from such practices by the emotional intent behind it — it's an unhealthy coping method for overwhelming feelings.

Self injury also isn't the same as a suicide attempt. For instance, someone may try to harm himself or herself by taking an overdose of medication, but stop short of taking a lethal dose. In self injury, the intent isn't to die, but to inflict bodily harm. However, self injury can accidentally result in suicide.

One form of self injury is cutting. Cutting is when one makes scratches or cuts on their body with a sharp object - enough to break the skin and make it bleed. Cutting is more common among girls, but guys sometimes self injure, too. There is a difference of about 20 %. People may cut themselves on their wrists, arms, legs, or bellies. Some people self injure by burning their skin with the end of a cigarette or lighted match. Other forms self injury can take are: hair pulling, skin picking, repetitive hitting in one location, interfering with wound healing, and other forms.

When cuts or burns heal, they often leave scars or marks. People who injure themselves usually hide the cuts and marks and sometimes no one else knows.

Self injury is not new. It's also not a very common behavior. But lately people are talking about it more. As guys and girls hear about cutting, they may feel curious about it and why people do it. Because it seems a little bit forbidden, some younger teens may think that cutting might make them seem daring, grown up, or popular.

People who injure themselves often try to keep their behavior secret. It may be difficult to spot signs of self-injury.

Signs of self-injury may include: