Another AP story is making internet waves this week: “Self-mutilation rampant at 2 Ivy League schools“. Self-injurious behavior has been the buzz around university counseling centers for awhile now and it isn’t just linked to high achieving Ivy Leaguers, although the rates found in that particular study are surprisingly high (17%). The story notes that cutting and similar self-abuse is becomming more common, but I tend to think that the increased incidence is due more to stigma reduction and increased help-seeking, particularly since a majority of people in counseling on college campuses are female, which also comprises the majority of self-injurers. Another thing to note is that the data was collected over the internet (which tends to make people feel more safe in disclosing these types of behavior) but they only had a 37% response rate, which raises questions about the sample and the actual rate of self-abuse in the population.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 7 Jun 2006
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.