Self Harm in Adolescent : 10 Urgent Reasons We Can’t Ignore

Self Harm: Understanding it among adolescents A lot of us think of something extreme when we hear the word "self-harm." But self-harm is really any act of injuring yourself on purpose, such cutting, burning, beating yourself, or even stopping wounds from healing. Not every time someone hurts themselves is it an attempt to kill themselves. …

Self Harm in Adolescents

Self Harm: Understanding it among adolescents


A lot of us think of something extreme when we hear the word “self-harm.” But self-harm is really any act of injuring yourself on purpose, such cutting, burning, beating yourself, or even stopping wounds from healing.

Not every time someone hurts themselves is it an attempt to kill themselves. A lot of teens say it helps them deal with strong feelings, stress, or feeling numb. But self-harm does raise the chance of suicide over time if the problems that led to it aren’t dealt with (Hawton et al., 2012). Consider self-harm as a “warning signal.” It shows that someone is in anguish on the inside, even if they can’t put it into words.

Why do teens hurt themselves?

There are a number of reasons why teens might damage themselves, according to research:

  1. Emotional release: When despair, rage, or anxiety is too much to handle.
    Pressure to perform: Academic stress is one of the most important factors in India (Kharsati & Bhola, 2015).
  2. Conflicts in relationships with parents, friends, or romantic partners (Gupta et al., 2023).
  3. Feeling like you have no control or power: When you feel like you can’t do what you want, such when you live in a strict home.
  4. Mental health issues: Self-harm commonly goes hand in hand with depression, anxiety, or trauma (Muehlenkamp et al., 2012).
  5. The Indian Situation: India has a very strong academic culture and a lot of social pressure, which makes self-harm among young people a big problem:
  6. About 35% of suicides in India happen to people between the ages of 15 and 24 (Patel et al., 2012).
  7. The suicide rate for girls is 80 per 100,000, and for boys, it is 34 per 100,000. This is substantially higher than the global average of about 10 per 100,000 (WHO, 2014; Wikipedia, 2025).
  8. In 2021, there were reports of more than 13,000 student suicides, which is about one student dying every hour (National Crime Records Bureau, 2022).
  9. These figures don’t only show suicide. There is a far larger group of teens behind them who hurt themselves in non-fatal ways to deal with their problems.
  10. A recent Indian review identified academic pressure, peer rejection, and emotional challenges as persistent risk factors (Gupta et al., 2023).

‘Self Harm’ A Global Problem

It’s not just a problem in India; it’s happening all throughout the world:

  • In the UK, 24.6% of 16- to 24-year-olds harmed themselves, and one in three young women said they had harmed themselves (NHS Survey, 2025).
  • In 2019, over 1 in 5 high school students in the US thought about killing themselves (CDC, 2020).
  • Online forums in Japan about suicide and self-harm show how digital environments can make these behaviors worse (Masuda et al., 2012).
  • This indicates that although cultural reasons may vary, the fundamental anguish of teenagers is universal.

Why This Is Important

People commonly hide self-harm. A lot of young people don’t ask for help because they are afraid of being punished, don’t know where to go, or are ashamed. But studies suggest that one in three teens who hurt themselves would do it again within a month. About 1 in 6 may try to kill themselves if they don’t get help (Lim et al., 2019).

This means that self-harm is a warning sign that can’t be ignored.

What Can Help?

  • Talk about things at home and school without judging.
  • Managing stress and having realistic expectations, especially when it comes to tests and self-image.
  • Support from friends—friends noticing and listening without making you feel bad.
  • Getting professional help—therapists, school counselors, and helplines are all safe places to talk. Therapy for anxiety, therapy for depression, therapy for body image issues, relationship counseling & family counseling can help in many cases.
  • Keep in mind that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Final Thoughts

People who hurt themselves don’t do it to get attention. It’s about seeking relief from some sort of emotional pain. Indian teens who are dealing with schoolwork, familial demands, social media propaganda develop issues with their identity often feel like self-harm is their only way out. But it doesn’t have to be like that.

We can work toward a future where it can be discussed without judgement or shame,  breaking the generational stigma, and creating places where teens feel heard.

Also, you can refer our blog on breath work and how it can help with heightened anxiety [CLICK HERE].

 

References

Gupta, S., Singh, A., & Sahoo, S. (2023). Deliberate self-harm in adolescents: A review of Indian studies. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 32(1), 23–31. https://journals.lww.com/inpj/fulltext/2023/32010/deliberate_self_harm_in_adolescents__a_review_of.3.aspx

Hawton, K., Saunders, K. E., & O’Connor, R. C. (2012). Self-harm and suicide in adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(3), 237–250. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02525.x

Kharsati, N., & Bhola, P. (2015). Patterns of non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors among college students in India. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 37(1), 77–82. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7176.150801

Lim, K. S., Wong, C. H., McIntyre, R. S., Wang, J., Zhang, Z., Tran, B. X., … Ho, C. S. (2019). Global lifetime and 12-month prevalence of suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm in adolescents: A meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(22), 4581. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224581

Masuda, N., Kurahashi, I., & Onari, H. (2012). Suicide ideation of individuals in online social networks. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 53(3), 237–250. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2012.02525.x

Patel, V., Ramasundarahettige, C., Vijayakumar, L., Thakur, J. S., Gajalakshmi, V., Gururaj, G., … Jha, P. (2012). Suicide mortality in India: A nationally representative survey. The Lancet, 379(9834), 2343–2351. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60606-0

World Health Organization. (2014). Preventing suicide: A global imperative. Geneva: WHO.

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