[Crowbob]

Short answer: Psychiatric/Psychological issues (obviously).

Cutting and other masochistic tendancies emerge for various reasons that are incomprehensible even to the people doing it in many cases. It seems to involve lots of things and some mysterious mix of factors such as the thrill of risk-taking, fetish behaviors, sexual frustrations, history of psychological and physical abuse, aberations of self-esteem, guilt, feelings of powerlessness (sexual and otherwise) personality disorders, boredom and various forms of dementia. Any single individual's motivation(s) is (are) as varied as the individuals themselves. This stuff is not uncommon, actually. Three of the more common themes, typically in younger people, is that it somehow reaffirms their own existence, the physical pain displaces psychological pain (at least temporarily) and/or it is a form of self-punishment for some perceived flaw(s). These flaws can be difficulties with relationships, feelings of worthlessness, body image and so on. In addition, these behaviors are by nature very private and many seem to derive some kind of relief from psychological pain (frequently resulting from physical or psychological abuse) by demonstrating to themselves that they alone have power over their own behavior that no one can take from them. It is often progressive becoming more dangerous and damaging, depending on the severity of the pathology until in extreme cases, they show up at the ER-or dead.

Some questions are not answerable.