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.
