Statistics have revealed certain patterns regarding cutting. The reasons for these particular trends are not clearly understood. However, the following factors have been linked to an increased risk of cutting:

• Age. Because cutting tends to begin during adolescence, teens and young adults are at greater risk. The behavior can last for five to 10 years, but may continue for longer periods of time if appropriate treatment is not obtained.
  
  
• Gender. Cutting appears to be more common in females than in males.
  
  
• Self-esteem. People with a low sense of their own value are at greater risk than those with healthy self-esteem.
  
  
• Personal and or family history of self-injury. Those who have engaged in any form of self-injury in the past are likely to repeat the pattern, which may include cutting. Some evidence also suggests that self-injury is more common in people who have a family history of suicide or self-injury.
  
  
• Past abuse. Approximately half of all self-injurers were subject to sexual, physical or emotional abuse including neglect as children, according to the National Mental Health Association.
  

Substance abuse also appears to be associated with cutting.

In addition, almost all cutters report feeling discouraged from expressing emotions, especially negative emotions such as anger or sadness.

Distorted thought processes support the cycle of cutting. For example, individuals may assume they cannot handle emotional pain and that cutting is the only way to relieve themselves of negative emotions. Or, they may have been taught not to express anger toward another person or that they deserve to suffer. Often, self-injurers report not being understood by others and feeling lonely.

Other possible reasons for cutting include:

• Expression of emotional pain. Physical pain is perceived as being easier to bear than emotional pain. Cutting is seen as releasing overwhelming negative emotions to achieve a state of emotional equilibrium.
  
  
• Distraction from emotional pain. Preoccupation with the ritual of cutting can become an engaging, self-absorbing activity that temporarily distracts one from distressing emotions and events.
  
  
• Alleviating feelings of numbness. Many who self-injure report seeking relief from an internal emptiness or numbness, which can sometimes be the result of emotional overload. Cutting provides a temporary break from this uncomfortable state.
  
  
• Validation of emotional state. Cutting produces visible physical evidence of emotional suffering. After-the-fact, it can provide a reason for negative emotions.
  
  
• Exertion of control. When events and emotions are painful and seem out of control, cutting may provide a feeling of empowerment by allowing one to control the amount or intensity of pain experienced.