Cutting in Adolescence and the Search for a Place in the City

Abstract

Given the high rate of self-injury among adolescents in Brazil and worldwide, this paper intends to analyze this resource’s recurrent use in adolescence, discussing issues related to the social bond implied in it. This discussion is based on the clinical case of a 14-year-old adolescent referred by her school to SPIA/IPUB-UFRJ. The youngster showed apparent anguish and helplessness, whose possibilities of psychic inscription and addressing seem to falter. The article results from ongoing research on self-injury and suicide in adolescence, which aims to contribute to developing strategies, particularly in the fields of health and education, to intervene and manage this clinical-political problem of our times.