This article discusses two Cornell research studies on the prevalence of self-injury or "cutting" in today's youth, led by Janis Whitlock, and presents historical perspectives on the issue. The first study randomly surveyed 3,069 undergraduate and graduate students at Cornell University and Princeton University. Data showed that 17 percent of the students had purposely tried to injure themselves by cutting or burning, and that almost 75 percent of those had done so multiple times. In another study, it demonstrated that cutters, once a highly isolated group, now participate in a virtual community, incorporating more than 400 Internet message boards to share thoughts and experiences. Internet, for them, provides support--sometimes to stop the behavior, sometimes to continue it. Furthermore, the author stresses that with a population highly vulnerable to peer suggestion, the development of a sensitive, nonpunitive response that does not condone or excite others to do the same is needed. Whether cutting behavior begins in high school or college, whether it involves girls or boys, it should provoke parents, mental-health professionals, and educators to consider the ways in which this longstanding symptom mirrors our violent, troubled times.