Definitive statistics on the number of individuals who self-injure are hard to come by as many people do not seek treatment for this disorder. Self-injury carries with it a stigma that by its very nature, lends itself to secrecy. However, it is estimated that two million people in the US engage in some form of self-injury (self-mutilation or cutting).

According to psychotherapist and author Steven Levenkron, “more than 70 percent of self-injurers are women, mostly between the ages of 11 and 26. They come from all races and social classes…What self-injurers have in common, is that they are often children of divorce, and as many as 90 percent grew up in homes where communication between parents and child was lacking and where messy problems were ignored, avoided and ultimately left in silence.”

Wendy Lader, Ph.D., psychologist and co-founder/director of the S.A.F.E. program (Self Abuse Finally Ends) in Illinois, says that “about 50 percent of self-injurers have a history of sexual or physical abuse…Self-injurers turn to cutting as a way to avoid feelings of worthlessness, numbness and detachment. They come to appreciate the raw pain of injury; finally, they can feel something… Self-injurers would rather feel the physical pain than the emotional pain.”

In a landmark research study by Cornell and Princeton University researchers published in June of 2006, it was revealed that “17 percent of college students, 20 percent of women and 14 percent of men, had either cut, burned, carved or harmed themselves in other ways…However, fewer than 7 percent of the students studied had ever sought medical attention for their self-inflicted physical injuries.”

Although not research based, the numbers of individuals who self-injure continues to rise. Teachers, school nurses and counselors will tell you that the number of students they work with who self-injure, is rapidly increasing. For myself, after ten years in the classroom, I have more students this year who visibly self-injure and write about it, than at any other time in my career. This issue has become so visible in the school system, that in 2006, The University of New Hampshire offered training for public school administrators, educators and nurses called “Self Harm in Students.”

The reasons behind self-injury are many. However, according to Dr. Lader of the S.A.F.E. program, “control is at the heart of self-injury…As with eating disorders, self-abuse is a way to take charge of your body. That's one reason many people who self-injure -- an estimated one-half to two-thirds also suffer from conditions like anorexia or bulimia.”

It is imperative that individuals who self-injure seek professional help from someone who can help them understand the motivating factors behind their behaviors. As someone who has struggled with self-injury for more than thirty years, I know how difficult the recovery process can be. It is my hope that by sharing my story, others who are struggling will be encouraged to seek out the help they need to live a safe and healthy life. I am taking the biggest risk of my life by sharing intimate details of self-injury behavior so that others might learn and understand more about this disorder.

Source CNN.com:

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/HEALTH/09/05/self.mutilation.wmd/