The problem of self-injury and "cutting yourself" is a growing behavior among teens. It is an issue that deserves immediate attention. This problem is now beginning to be recognized as a worldwide problem that world health officials are taking seriously. The act of cutting was a very difficult thing to assess in the past due to the fact that the average cutter hid the fact that they were cutting. The under reporting of the problem unfortunately allowed the self-harm behavior to grow into a big problem.

There is a shame that many cutters have and are not willing to discuss this with others.

Statistics worldwide are uncovering the magnitude of the problem, cutting yourself is an act of mutilation. Self-mutilation can be a scary thing to the parent or loved one of the cutters. The general reaction of a parent to a teen cutter is usually sadness and shock. It is common for the adult to have never realized this was going on. Statistics on cutting in England and Australia show a large rise in teens cutting themselves. Medical professionals have no easy answers to why teens are cutting.

The usually course of treatment is medication for the cutter. Cutting yourself is handled like a mental illness and often the teen or adult is treated with anti-depressants. Anti depressant are used to raise the mood of the cutter. While medication can prove beneficial, it is not a cure to the problem. Medication can be a great help to a cutter. The underlying problems of cutting are not addressed with medication. The real reasons for the cutting are masked with medication. This is not to say medicine does not help because it may help a self-harmer in a great way but it will not cure the problem. There is a new treatment from a filmmaker that is helping many cutters; it uses no medicine or therapy. The cutter heals from the inner self, the cutter works alone with themselves. It has had great success and can be practiced by anyone. This is an urgent problem that must be addressed immediately; it can lead to serious complication later.