Bayens' behavior may seem bizarre, but it's not unusual. Those who cut themselves are often turning their anger on themselves because they are afraid to let their feelings out, says Good Morning America parenting expert Ann Pleshette Murphy. The philosophy behind it is not very different from girls who starve themselves. In recent years, the secret impulse has gone public. Princess Diana admitted in a 1995 BBC interview that she cut her legs and arms because she was unhappy about her marriage, for example.
Experts say cutters inflict pain on themselves to deal with worthlessness and self-hatred.
You might see guys who are angry hit a wall, or kick something and they feel better. For these girls, they hurt themselves. The group included foster children, prisoners, doctors, lawyers, nurses and Sunday-school teachers. Many cutters describe relief and solace in watching themselves bleed, as though their pain and fear is seeping away. The First Cut Doctors often misdiagnose cutting as attempts to commit suicide.