Broadly speaking, self-injury (also called self-inflicted violence, self-harm, parasuicide, delicate cutting, self-abuse, and self-mutilation) is the act of attempting to alter a mood state by inflicting physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to the body. This harm may include cutting (with knives, razors, glass, pin, or any sharp object), burning, hitting the body with an object or fists, hitting a heavy object (like a wall), picking at skin until it bleeds, biting, pulling hair out. The most commonly observed forms are cutting, burning, and headbanging. It is not considered self-injury if the primary purpose is sexual pleasure, body decoration, or spiritual enlightenment through ritual.

The reasons why people engage in self-injurious behavior are numerous: biological predisposition, tension reduction, and lack of experience in dealing with intense emotions are some of the major factors. Studies have suggested that when people who self-injure get emotionally overwhelmed, an act...