Millions injure themselves There are roughly 1.9 million , or people who intentionally harm themselves much like my roommate Shera, in America. And one source says that 750 out of every 100,000 people in the United States practice some form of . While these numbers don't tell us much about why people choose to physically harm themselves, (we'll get to that later) they do reveal there are a lot of people intentionally injure themselves. But despite what the recent glut of stories about women who cut themselves, cutting is not on an epidemic level among young women, stresses Laura Mason, Ph.D., director of the Psychology Clinic at University of California at Berkeley. "Sex experimentation and eating disorders are much more common than cutting or self-mutilation," she says. But, as some ChickClickers know first hand, cutting is often associated with self-destructive relationships, school failure, rejection from guys and can also be a response to the stress that young women athletes have to deal with -- sometimes it's a way to exert control over their bodies and their lives. Relief from the pain For those of us who have never cut or intentionally injured ourselves, we probably wonder why, if a young women is feeling depressed, stressed out or overwhelmed by her life, does she cause herself physical pain? Many cutters report that when they harm themselves, they feel relief rather than physical pain. "I cut because all the pain flows out with the blood and I feel relief," says ChickClicker dayshaagirl. She echoes what many others self-injurers frequently report feeling when they harm themselves -- a release of tension, pain and confusion. Another ChickClicker, bumblebee, says she "take[s] safety pins, knives, curling irons, anything I can get my hands on and hurt myself, almost daily," and she wonders "Am I the only person in the world who does this?" As the statistics show, bumblebee is far from alone. There are lots of  with stories, poems, drawings and advice about where to get help for cutters, and there's many helpful books and articles that self-injurers can turn to.

Cutting