Why Do Teens Engage in Self-Harm? Clinical Psychologists Explains

Why Do Teens Engage in Self-Harm? Clinical Psychologists Explains
Nearly 1 in 5 young people worldwide intentionally injure themselves every year.Dreamstime/TNS
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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.
Professor of Psychology, University of Washington
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