Why Do teens Self-injure?
Self-injury is a complex cycle that is undeniably unhealthy and hazardous to those who are engaging in it. Have you ever wondered why teens resort to harming themselves? There are several factors that contribute to the reasons behind teen parasuicide. The topmost reasons include, but are not limited to: (1) release of physiological and psychological tension, (2) inability to cope with life’s challenges, and (3) problems involving the serotonin system.
Some teens harm themselves when they get emotionally overwhelmed, justifying the fact that the “high” they get from hurting themselves “stabilizes” their over raging emotions, whether these emotions are positive or negative. As studies suggests, this is indeed true. Emotional discomfort can indeed be toned down to a bearable level by hurting one’s self.
Another factor is the teens’ inability to cope when they are emotionally overwhelmed. There are teens who do not know how to effectively manage their own emotions, thus, their emotions, more often than not, get the best of them. Simply put, teens who are at the mercy of their own emotions, so to speak, are susceptible to self-injury because they have low levels of tolerance for emotions that border on the extreme.
Lastly, the serotonin system may also play a role in self-injury. Problems with serotonin may trigger an abnormally impulsive behavior to a teen, which is likely to result in his or her aggression towards himself or herself.
