Self-harm seems so rampant now a days, and for some peer groups its basically a cultural norm--nearly a requirement to 'fit in', not merely a method to deal with invasive thoughts and strong negative emotional states. I used to see self-harm mostly with those whom had severe trauma experiences such as being raped, who per the article struggled with self loathing, invasive memories triggering severe depressive episodes and the like.
I now see Self-harm used by kids for what I would consider minor issues as well. The threshold for using self-harm for some kids has gotten extremely low. I have referrals for kids who self-harm, just to "try it" because so many friends of theirs do it and they want to fit in and share the experience. They typically do it more episodically, but learn to self-harm for 'bad days' sadness and many emotional states that I wouldn't consider very severe--and they typically don't consider very severe either--its just what they do. I see cutting as a cultural norm for subgroups, and there is real peer pressure to continue to cut--to maintain their support group. It becomes nearly a requirement to feel overwhelmed and be negativistic or they risk losing their 'friends'.
I worked with one 'goth' teen who improved dramatically and began to loathe self-harming. She quit self-harming for many months, but was receiving negative feedback from her small peer group--that she was 'too happy' and wasn't self-harming. She choose to occasionally engage in minor self-harm on her arms, and put butterfly designs on her arms to prevent the loss of her 'friends'. This habituated behavior certainly has taken on prominence and a degree of social acceptance that I couldn't have imagined a decade ago. It's not always a simple "mental health" issue either, some engage in this behavior for social conformity--not only to escape their emotional pain
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/oct/17/self-harm
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