Treatment for Self-Harming Behaviors in Teens

If your teen’s cutting, or other forms of self-harm, have reached an emergency level of severity, please dial 911 to get immediate medical help. Apply pressure to the wound(s) until first responders arrive, and try to keep your teen as calm as possible. If you suspect your teen is suicidal, seek immediate attention from a mental healthcare professional. You can also call or text 988 for the US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

If the situation is non-life-threatening, you should still seek treatment for any teen engaging in self-harm behaviors. Medical attention addresses physical wounds, while mental health interventions allow teens to get support and healthy tools to deal with their underlying distress.What is Teen Cutting?

Treatment for Cutting and Other Self-Harming Behaviors

The best treatment for self-harm depends on an individual teen’s mental state and their underlying issues. The most common treatment approaches include psychotherapy and psychiatric intervention. These forms of treatment allow teens to talk about their mental and emotional difficulties, and they give mental health professionals the ability to assess the underlying causes of self-harm in teens. Group therapy is also effective, as teens can discuss their feelings in a safe, supportive environment with other adolescents experiencing similar challenges.

Whether you seek individual therapy or group therapy for your teen, the right therapist will help your teen develop a customized treatment plan for self-harm and help them develop coping skills they can use to regulate their emotions instead of engaging in self-harming behaviors. Learn more about finding the right therapist for your teen.

In some instances, counseling coupled with full-time observation, such as what’s provided by Muir Wood’s teen residential treatment programs, can help ensure long-term healing and recovery from teen cutting and other forms of self-harm.

Residential Treatment for Self-Harming Teens

At Muir Wood, our licensed, professional team of mental healthcare providers is highly experienced and motivated to render the right treatment teens need to overcome self-harming behaviors. We assess each teen individually to determine the underlying cause of the behavior so we can best support and treat them. In addition to critical assessments and psychotherapeutic treatment, we provide experiential therapies like art, music, meditation, physical fitness, and yoga. 

What Is Cutting, Self-Injury, and Self-Harm?

Cutting is a type of nonsuicidal self-injury in which teenagers purposefully scratch or cut themselves using sharp objects such as razor blades or knives. In addition to cutting, teenagers may engage in other types of self-injury or self-harm, such as:

• Burning
• Biting
• Hitting themselves
• Binge drinking
• Abusing drugs
• Starting fights expecting injury
• Having unsafe sex
• Exercising to the point of injury or collapse

The Difference Between Teen Cutting and Suicidal Behavior

You might assume that cutting behavior is connected to suicide. While teenage cutting is potentially dangerous and requires treatment, the act of self-harm might not necessarily stem from a desire to end one’s life. In reality, cutting is a misdirected response in highly troubled teens who are seeking a kind of catharsis from intense mental strain or anguish. The behavior may be found in teens who feel overwhelmed, stressed, conflicted, or are experiencing mental health issues such as anxiety or depression.

Why Teens Harm Themselves

In many cases, cutting or self-harm is an attempt to shock themselves out of deeply consuming states of intense emotion. Inciting pain or injury causes endorphins to be secreted into the bloodstream. This chemical reaction causes a fleeting pleasurable or numbing effect. 

The act of cutting can also distract, alleviate, or even depressurize intense feelings many teens have difficulty processing in healthy ways. Teens might also resort to cutting as a way to feel “something” if they are experiencing emotional numbness or apathy. In this scenario, causing themselves pain is a way to grasp onto some semblance of emotion or feeling. Furthermore, cutting may be the last resort for teens who need to feel more in control if their lives feel confusing or chaotic. Learn more about why teens engage in self-harm behaviors.

Warning Signs of Teen Self-Harm

It can be challenging to know if a teenager is involved in cutting or other self-harming behaviors. While it’s true that some teens engaging in self-harm behaviors can appear impulsive, withdrawn, or overemotional, they may also appear successful, composed, and highly organized. 

Because all teens are different, identifying signs of self-harm can pose challenges. You may, however, notice these warning signs: 

• Having cuts, scrapes, or burns that continually appear on the body (particularly on the wrists, arms, torso, or thighs) or that do not heal (this might be a sign of re-cutting or picking at scabs)
• Hiding potential wounds by wearing long pants or long-sleeved shirts, especially in warm weather
• Seeing unusual blood stains on sheets, towels, or clothing
• Possessing sharp objects or a “cutting kit” in which cutting tools are kept hidden
• Spending an inordinate amount of time alone (particularly in the bathroom), or becoming increasingly more withdrawn socially
• Giving evasive responses when asked about wounds
• Avoiding environments where wounds might be revealed (such as locker or dressing rooms, swimming pools, etc.)
• Struggling with relationships
• Abusing alcohol or other substances
• Behaving erratically
• Being unable to control emotions
• Expressing feelings of helplessness, being overwhelmed, or a lack of control

These warning signs aren’t definitive indications of whether or not a teen engages in self-harm. However, if you suspect your teen is hurting himself or herself, talk to your teen about your concerns. Approach them with compassion and empathy. After establishing an honest dialogue, you and your teen are far better positioned to find solutions. Our guide to talking about self-harm can help you initiate a conversation.

Learn More About Muir Wood’s Teen Treatment Programs

If you’re ready to explore Muir Wood for your teen’s residential treatment, read about our programs and fill out a pre-assessment form. You can also call our admissions counselors at 866-705-0828.