Extreme Behavior: When Children Cut Themselves "Cutting is the new smoking among adolescents today." Take a moment to consider this frightening concept and its possible ramifications. The clinical term for cutting is called "self-mutilation," and it is more common than one may think. It is estimated that two million Americans deliberately cut or burn themselves each year. That statistic is nearly 30 times the rate of suicide attempts. Contrary to popular myth, self-mutilation rarely represents a suicidal attempt and is typically viewed by the individual as an act of nurturing or self-care. These individuals hurt themselves not really to inflict pain, but astonishingly enough, to relieve themselves of pain – to soothe themselves. Read More....