The intentional action of causing physical damage to oneself is self-harm and is a very serious sign of emotional distress. Self-harm is officially classified as nonsuicidal self-injury disorder (NSSID) according to the Statistical and Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), as these self-destructive activities are carried out without any intention of suicide. As several reports show that approximately 5 percent of adolescents and 7-35 percent of college students have inflicted self-harmful actions on themselves, adolescents are at the highest risk of self-harm injury. There are similar levels of self-harm behavior for males and females. Examples of self-injurious actions involve cutting, skin carving, intense scratching, or burning oneself, as well as punching or hitting walls to cause pain. Ingesting toxic chemicals, extreme skin picking, hair pulling and deliberate wound healing intervention are other examples. After the harmful act is done, the person gains a superficial feeling of emotional and mental relief followed by feelings of shame or remorse, resulting in even more negative emotions before this cycle begins.
Recent studies have shown an increase in teenage girls in both teen suicides and self-harm. As a result of men
tal disorders, substance addiction, cultural, family and social conditions, genetics, and most of all, cyberbullying, suicide among adolescent girls may occur (Ehmke). Around 20% of teenage girls in the U.S. consider suicide, and between 5% and 8% of them attempt suicide each year, based on a 205 survey (Ehmke). 50 out of 0 million girls between the ages of 0 and 4 committed suicide due to cyberbullying, among other similar causes, in 204 alone (Graham). Excessive social media and smartphone use can lead to cyberbullying, medical experts say. Many cyberbullying victims also feel a lot of stress and anxiety that leads to suicidal ideation (Ehmke). A study in The Atlantic by Jean Twenge confirms that cyberbullying is more closely linked to teenage suicidal thoughts than common bullying (Twenge). Some figures indicate that between 5 and 20 percent of teenage girls are victims of physical, verbal or exclusion-based bullying, depending on the country of origin. while 5% to 30% of them are victims of cyberbullying (Twenge). Only a few studies have investigated the association between cyberbullying and suicide, but the study of Jean Twenge strongly indicates that cyberbullying is a significant risk factor for the idea of suicide in adolescent girls (Twenge).