Had a daughter go through this. It wasn't significant, but we had noticed a few cuts and didn't want to let it get out of hand. As it was explained to us, it was a coping mechanism to deal with stress, which could but didn't necessarily include anxiety, depression, and emotional issues. Not all that different than drinking to deal with stress, but also a way to focus on being present. In that last sense, it was similar to meditation, expect that it wasn't a healthy alternative. We were also told that it wasn't likely to be a precursor to suicidal thoughts.

My wife and I were encouraged to look at ourselves to see what we may have been doing to create unnecessary stress, and there were some things we had to change. At the same time, there was a recognition that life can be stressful regardless, that ti would be unrealistic to try to eliminate all stress, so we were given some ideas for more healthy coping mechanisms, one of which was a form of mindfulness meditation. The others were individual sports -- in particular, cycling and bouldering.