Nearly a decade ago, Cutting boldly addressed a traumatic
psychological disorder now affecting as many as two million Americans
and one in fifty adolescents. More than that, it revealed
self-mutilation as a comprehensible, treatable disorder, no longer to be
evaded by the public and neglected by professionals. Using copious
examples from his practice, Steven Levenkron traces the factors that
predispose a personality to self-mutilation: genetics, family
experience, childhood trauma, and parental behavior. Written for
sufferers, parents, friends, and therapists, Cutting explains why the
disorder manifests in self-harming behaviors and describes how patients
can be helped.