Emotions are tricky things. They allow for humans to fall in love, wage war and, as it turns out, engage in self-harm.
It is hard to imagine an era in which young adults were more distressed than today. Recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data indicates that more than 40% of high school students reported they felt persistently sad or hopeless over the past year. In the same survey, about 20% reported that they seriously considered suicide. Worldwide, approximately 17% of youths ages 12-18 intentionally injure themselves each year.