Cutting is a form of self-injury. It is defined as an act performed to achieve immediate emotional relief and is not intended to end one’s life. By injuring their own bodies, people who cut themselves achieve the emotional release they feel is necessary to continue functioning.

The act of cutting involves creating superficial lacerations (e.g., cuts, scratches) on the body with a knife, razor, glass or other sharp object. Each episode of cutting is usually completed upon the sensation of pain or the drawing of blood.

Cutting is the most common type of various self-injurious behaviors, which can include scratching, picking scabs, punching, burning with cigarettes or hot irons, head banging, biting, hair-pulling and/or drinking harmful liquids such as bleach or detergent. It is sometimes classified as self-mutilation, a specific type of self-injury that involves damage to the body. The scars, burns or bruises of self-injury may be concealed and a high level of shame is associated with the behavior. Common areas on the body for cutting include the arms, legs and front of the torso – especially areas that can be hidden by clothing.

Research suggests that cutting is common among high school students. Also, as many as one in six U.S. college students have engaged in some type of self-injurious behavior, including but not limited to cutting, according to the largest survey to investigate the incidence among young adults. The survey was conducted by researchers from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Most of the students who reported injuring themselves (71 percent) said they had done so at least twice. On average, they had injured themselves for the first time at age 15 or 16. Repeat self-injurers were more likely to be female.

Some people who regularly cut report experiencing relief from stress, emotional pain, fear and/or anxiety after cutting. In such cases, the self-injurer comes to see cutting as necessary to restore emotional balance. Other self-injurers report feeling better and more in control immediately after cutting themselves. However, the relief is usually temporary and individuals who cut for such reasons may fall into a chronic pattern of reliance on the behavior.  

A common misperception about cutting is those who practice it are manipulating people around them or simply seeking attention. In some cases, attention may become an unintended consequence of the cutting – which can reinforce the behavior. However, cutting is almost always done in isolation and attention to the self-inflicted wounds is typically not desired. The primary goal of cutting is emotional release, not attention.