1. Health

Self Mutilation or Self Injury

Self mutilation, self injury or self inflicted violence is defined as the intentional harm of one's own body tissue without conscious suicidal intent. The vast majority of self-mutilators, or cutters as they are sometimes called, are young middle to upper-class adelescent females.

Self-Injury In Adolescents

Some adolescents may self-mutilate to take risks, rebel, reject their parents' values, state their individuality or merely be accepted. Others, however, may injure themselves out of desperation or anger to seek attention, to show their hopelessness and worthlessness, or because they have suicidal thoughts.

Motivation for Self Mutilation

There are several theories that try to explain the motivation factors for self mutilation.

The Behavioral Treatment of Self-Mutilation

Self-mutilation is a serious public health problem, yet there is very little empirical evidence little empirical evidence showing that treatments can reduce this maladaptive behavior.

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