A new trend has developed among teens in the world. Those who practice it say that it is a way of managing emotional pain. The trend is the practice of self-mutilation—or cutting oneself. According to a study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 14 to 39 percent of teens engage in this practice.

Another study reports that of those teens who self-mutilate, some do so up to 745 times a year.

To most, it is unthinkable that anyone would resort to willingly inflicting bodily harm on themselves. But to a teen facing overwhelming problems and difficulties, it somehow seems logical. “I would do it when things got me upset,” said a 17 year-old outpatient at a clinic in west Los Angeles. “At the time it was a relief, until you wake up the next morning, look at your arms and think…what did I do?” A 13 year-old treated at the same facility said, “Cutting grew into a huge fad at school. In seventh grade it seemed every single girl had tried it—except the really smart ones.”

Time magazine reports that those who cut themselves are not confined to any particular group or stereotype—both boys and girls are doing it. Many live in stable, two-parent homes with no signs of abuse. And most do not intend to commit suicide; they only cut themselves as a “release.”

It is sad to see the continued degradation of youth. Teens do not turn to the Bible for answers. However, thousands of years ago, God addressed this same issue: “You are the children of the Lord your God: you shall not cut yourselves…For you are a holy people unto the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a peculiar people unto himself…” (Deut. 14:1-2).

Source: Time