Warning Signs of Cutting

The term "cutting" describes the practice of intentional self-harm or mutilation. Cutting may, or may not, indicate deeper psychological distress such as depression, eating disorders or anxiety. About 20 percent of teens will experiment with cutting for a brief period and stop, while others will continue this self-abuse. The exact number of cutting victims remains unknown, but experts at Mental Health America predict that 1 percent of the population suffers from some degree of self-cutting.

Definitive Cut Patterns

• The patterns of intentional and emotional cutting differ from the scrapes and nicks typical of playing sports or working with heavy machinery. Indicators of this methodical self-harm include straight, patterned slices, similar to rigs on a ladder. Some individuals cut deprecating words into their skin such as "bad" or "ugly" to express negative feelings they may have about themselves.

Covering Arms and Legs

• Typical cutting locations include forearms, upper arms and thighs. The person may insist on wearing long clothing to cover these areas, even in extremely warm weather. Depending on the length and severity of her cutting, the person may express extreme apprehension about changing in front of others or going to doctors.

Abrupt Behavior Changes

• Most episodes of cutting follow specific, although potentially frequent, incidents of upset or stress. Lashing out emotionally or extreme withdrawal may also accompany cutting episodes. Underlying psychological or emotional problems can also contribute not only to the act of cutting, but to erratic, aggressive or difficult behavior.

Reluctance to Communicate

• Individuals who cut themselves often do so to relieve repressed anger and sadness. While psychiatric and personality issues can account for some of these feelings, Mental Health America reports that as high as 90 percent of cutting victims reside or grew up in environments that discouraged or ignored expressions of anger and sadness.