A recent survey reveals that almost half of students surveyed say they deal with stress and depression in a way most parents cannot even imagine.
For ten years Sari - - who's now 17 years old - - would cut herself with razors and her own fingernails. "It was like I could handle physical pain better than I could handle mental pain. And it was like a rush of endorphins, made me feel better.", said Sari.
According to a new study from Brown University, self injury is becoming more common. Researchers surveyed over 600 high schoolers. 46 percent reported injuring themselves in the past year.
Karen Conterio, Founder and Director or the organization 'SAFE Alternatives', said, "Kids aren't very well developed in refraining from impulses. They feel, therefore they must act. They feel sad, they feel angry, and in order to get rid of that they have to act right away."
Most teens who injure themselves are girls - - but not all.
Kevin Irish cut himself after the Chicago Cubs lost a baseball game. Kevin said, "I carved the word "Cubs" into my chest and it was a thing where I was watching the blood and it felt like that was the only thing I could do to make myself feel alive."
In most cases, experts say, a cut or a burn is a cry for help. "And when someone's cutting themselves, they're trying to communicate something. You know, it may be- It's a preverbal way of way of trying to say, hey, something's going on. I can't put words to it, I'm not sure what I'm feeling.", said Conterio.
And for Sari it was depression stemming from her parents' divorce. But with the help of therapy and medication, she's now able to manage her emotions and has stopped cutting and now has plans for college.
Teens who repeatedly cut themselves are six times more likely to attempt suicide.
