Psychologists at the University of Washington have discovered that teenage girls who engage in self-harm behaviors such as cutting themselves have lower levels of serotonin in their blood. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is also implicated in depression, The adolescents also had reduced levels of "respiratory sinus arrhythmia" a measure of "the ebb and flow of heart rate along with breathing". The study suggests links these teenage cutting behaviors with the possible later development of borderline personality disorder; and suggests that both groups have difficulty modulating their emotions.
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