If Self-Injury is So Prevalent, Why Do We Know So Little About It?

Acts of self-injury like cutting have become behaviors of which most people are at least generally aware. Cutting is discussed solemnly on news and talk shows, often as a phenomenon of disturbed teens, or worse, of attention-seekers. But there’s much more involved in the range of behaviors than just that, and self-injury is not a new phenomenon. It’s been studied somewhat more extensively in recent years, although it’s not particularly high on the medical profession’s list of priorities.

It’s likely that people have been hurting themselves for centuries, but like other closeted behaviors we’re just beginning to talk about, self-injury has only recently risen in the public consciousness. While it’s hard to imagine Victorians or Ancient Egyptians engaging in self-harm, the experts feel it’s probably been going on for a very long time...

Aside from cutting, people who injure themselves may burn, punch walls, punch their legs, head bang, or hit themselves with objects, says Dr. Barbara Stanley, Director of the Suicide Intervention Center at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. The range of behaviors is wide and disturbing, and there are different levels of severity. How people get started can vary, but oftentimes, “people just kind of hit on it,” says Stanley. “For some, they try it once, it hurts and they stop. For others it ‘works’ and they continue.”

Read more at http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2012/01/31/if-self-injury-is-so-prevalent-why-do-we-know-so-little-about-it/