Cutting is a type of self-injury where someone uses sharp objects to cut themselves on their arms, legs, belly, and other parts of their body. Other common types of self-injury include burning, bruising, and scratching. Teens who self-injure usually don't do so as an attempt to end their life but as a response to intense emotions that may be hard to handle.

With the help of a mental health provider (such as a psychologist or counselor), your teen can break the habit of self-injury. But it will take time, energy, and your support.

• Get help from a therapist. Set up regular visits with a therapist or other behavioral health provider for your teen. The therapist can teach your teen healthy ways to deal with strong feelings. The therapist will also want to meet with you and other family members to help you support your teen. This can help reduce stress in the household and help you manage your own feelings.
• Talk with your teen about ways to cope with the urge to self-injure. Suggest that they write these down or put them on their phone in case they need a reminder. These might include things like:
  • listening to music, going for a walk, or cuddling with a pet
  • talking to friends and family
  • writing in a journal, or looking back in the journal to see what helped them to not self-injure in the past
• Talk about the 15-minute rule. When your teen has the urge to self-injure, the 15-minute rule can help the feeling pass. To do it, your teen should:
  • Set a timer for 15 minutes.
  • For 15 minutes: Use the coping skills they wrote down or put in their phone. 
  • After 15 minutes: Talk to a friend or family member or write in their journal about how they feel. (Do they still feel like self-injuring? Is the urge less or even gone?)
• General coping. To help with overall mood and well-being, encourage your teen to:
  • Eat a balanced diet.
  • Get 8–10 hours of sleep every night.
  • Get plenty of physical activity every day — walk, play a sport, or do anything that gets them moving.
  • Spend time outdoors in nature if possible.
  • Take time to relax.
  • Practice yoga or meditation.
  • Spend time with positive people who care about them.
  • Keep a journal of good feelings they have or things they are grateful for. Reading the journal later can help remind them of the positives in their life.
• Pay attention. Ask about your teen's social media use and friendships. While these can be great sources of support, sometimes teens encourage each other to self-injure. 
• Offer support. Tell your teen you support them. If they want to talk about their feelings, listen calmly and offer reassurance. Ask what you can do to help. If they aren't ready to talk to you about their self-injuring, that's OK too. Try again at another time.
• Stay positive and connected. Even if your teen doesn't want to talk to you about their feelings, try to connect in positive ways such as talking about things that interest your teen and doing activities together that they enjoy.
• Be patient. It takes a while to break the habit of self-injury. Don't punish or scold your teen if they self-injure. It doesn't help them stop and can add to their stress.

Your teen:

• continues cutting or another type of self-injury.
• shows warning signs of thinking about suicide, such as:
  • talking or writing about suicide or death
  • talking about feeling hopeless
  • hinting about not being around for long
  • giving away important things
  • taking unsafe risks (drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or driving too fast, for example)

• A cut or wound is big, deep, or bleeding a lot.
• The area around a cut or wound feels warm, looks swollen, is painful, or has red streaks.
• You are worried that your teen will try to commit suicide (end their life) or they have talked about a specific plan for suicide.

You or your teen also can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Why do some people self-injure? Teens who self-injure usually are under a lot of stress and struggle to handle it. They use the physical hurt of self-injury to distract themselves from emotional pain. This can create a brief feeling of relief. Once they start self-injuring, it can become a habit and be hard to stop. 

You can learn more about cutting and self-injury and your teen can find support online at Self-Injury Outreach and Support (sioutreach.org).

How is self-injuring different from a suicide attempt? Teens who cut or do another type of self-injury usually don't want to die. They want to live, but with less emotional pain. But someone who self-injures can also have thoughts of suicide, so it's important to take self-injuring seriously.