Cutting yourself

Why do people cut themselves? I dont understand, they do it on purpose! is it due to depression :confused:

I have seen it in some movies and heard people doing it to them but I dont understand why they do it...
Anyone know why?

Reply 1

sparkly_tiara

2

People cut for many different reasons. Some people cut to give themselves a release, some people cut to try and forget the pain, some cut to give themselves another pain to focus on. People who cut are generally feeling low/ have overwhelming emotions to deal with and it is very sad and unfortunate that they feel this way. I guess you can't really understand unless you have cut or felt the need to cut maybe? Are you worried about someone or were you just curious?

Reply 2

James

14

If you are worried about someone, try talking to them. It may really mean a lot to them if you show your support. :smile:

Reply 3

white_haired_wizard

16

I'm not sure whether you are doing so or not...

either way, it's not something that should be belittled...

Reply 4

Anonymous #1

OP

lol no im nto doing and and i dont know anyone that does, i just want to know WHY peopple do it.
Why do they cut to forget the pain? You just get more pain :s-smilie:

Reply 5

lovers in japan

2

Anonymous

lol no im nto doing and and i dont know anyone that does, i just want to know WHY peopple do it.
Why do they cut to forget the pain? You just get more pain :s-smilie:

Because it can allow you to feel in control of pain, as opposed to it being forced on you. You forget the pain which is outside your control, and concentrate on the pain which you create, which oddly enough often doesn't hurt as much imho. Often it's emotional problems, and if you are quite repressed as a person, it's just a way people can relieve this tension/stress; sure, it's not the most constructive of ways, but it can work.

Not particularly helpful in the long run maybe, but it can be oddly calming to regain control.

Reply 6

Anonymous #2

Anonymous

lol no im nto doing and and i dont know anyone that does, i just want to know WHY peopple do it.
Why do they cut to forget the pain? You just get more pain :s-smilie:

As someone who self-harms and has done for years, it makes me annoyed when people don't have any understanding whatsoever.

I cut for several reasons. Either to punish myself due to guilt and bad feelings, or if I'm in a panicky crying mood I do it to calm myself down. It gives me something else to focus on. I do it because the pain actually feels good. I like cutting and I like to see my scars afterwards. And no, I don't do it for attention. Only 1 person knows I cut, and I do it on my thigh where no one can see it.

And self-harm shouldn't always be seen in a bad light. Contrary to beliefs that it encourages suicide, it actually helps to prevent it. People learn to cut as a form of expression rather than letting bad feeling build up and up. As long as people know what they are doing and how to take care of themselves, cutting is safe.

Reply 7

lovers in japan

2

Anonymous

As someone who self-harms and has done for years, it makes me annoyed when people don't have any understanding whatsoever.

I cut for several reasons. Either to punish myself due to guilt and bad feelings, or if I'm in a panicky crying mood I do it to calm myself down. It gives me something else to focus on. I do it because the pain actually feels good. I like cutting and I like to see my scars afterwards. And no, I don't do it for attention. Only 1 person knows I cut, and I do it on my thigh where no one can see it.

And self-harm shouldn't always be seen in a bad light. Contrary to beliefs that it encourages suicide, it actually helps to prevent it. People learn to cut as a form of expression rather than letting bad feeling build up and up. As long as people know what they are doing and how to take care of themselves, cutting is safe.

I agree with most of your points there, apart from this person is trying to understand, and not criticising it in any way. It can be quite overwhelming for someone who has not come across it before, I would imagine.

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

OP

I was watching the movie secretary in which the women has been doing it since grade 7!!

Reply 9

Adhsur

15

Anonymous

pain actually feels good

You what now? Last time I checked pain was supposed to be inherently bad. You can't tell me you like the feeling of pain, that's just messed up and doesn't even make sense.

As long as people know what they are doing and how to take care of themselves, cutting is safe.

Bad advice. Bad bad bad!!! It's one thing being thick yourself but quite another to encourage it. Whatever you say it IS bad to injure yourself, sweetie.

Reply 10

Anonymous #3

Adhsur

You what now? Last time I checked pain was supposed to be inherently bad. You can't tell me you like the feeling of pain, that's just messed up and doesn't even make sense.

Er, why not? Just because you don't like it doesn't mean it doesn't help some other people.

Adhsur

Bad advice. Bad bad bad!!! It's one thing being thick yourself but quite another to encourage it. Whatever you say it IS bad to injure yourself, sweetie.

No worse than any other body modification, like tatoos or piercings. The feeling behind the self-harm - ie, the problems that push someone to self harm - are bad, yes. The self-harm itself is, to be honest, not the be-all-and-end-all, although obviously I don't encourage it.

Reply 11

Anonymous #2

Adhsur

Bad advice. Bad bad bad!!! It's one thing being thick yourself but quite another to encourage it. Whatever you say it IS bad to injure yourself, sweetie.

Excuse me but when did I ever encourage it? I said if you know what you're doing its safe, I didn't say "Hey everybody, don't worry, it's safe, let's grab a knife and cut ourselves to shreds". And where in my post did I say it was good to injure yourself? I didn't. Stop twisting my words to fit your beliefs.

Reply 12

lovers in japan

2

Anonymous

I was watching the movie secretary in which the women has been doing it since grade 7!!

Grade 7... what's that? Year 8? If so, I know several people who started then... it's not as uncommon as is commonly thought... the Samaritans did a survey on it, I think it was something like 1 in 10 teenagers has.

Reply 13

Anonymous #4

Adhsur

Bad advice. Bad bad bad!!! It's one thing being thick yourself but quite another to encourage it. Whatever you say it IS bad to injure yourself, sweetie.

Okay, well you blatantly have never cut yourself. I do, and the poster who said that has/does. Self-harm doesn't make you 'thick' - in fact, people who do harm are usually highly intelligent and perfectionists. I completely agree with the point that it doesn't hurt as much as the emotional pain you feel at the time - I cut myself as a form of release from powerful emotions that I can't control. I wish I didn't cut, but I'm a highly strung person with serious frustration/anger management issues and sometimes find life too difficult to cope with.

Like the person you are quoting, only one person (my boyfriend) knows that I self harm - though I wish he didn't because I feel that he gets angry with me when I have relapses (I can go for months without doing it, but then do it four times in a week or something) and looks down upon me - much like you're doing. Once I tried to tell him that I'd done it after we had a big fight because I was upset with myself and the situation and he accused me of emotionally blackmailing him.

Telling someone that self-harming is 'bad' and wrong when you've never had the misfortune to be a self harmer (and some might argue, suffer from mental health issues) is just as equally ridiculous as saying cutting yourself is normal behaviour - it perhaps isn't healthy, but it's a coping mechanism.

Reply 14

xxSAMMIxx

1

It gives you self control, you feel better after doing it, i guess if you are really stressed or down about something and you feel you cant talk to anyone then you turn to self harming, or having the urge to do it, for some people anyway. There are plenty of websites on self harming that will most likely answer your questions!!

Reply 15

Anonymous #5

People cut because it can make them feel better.
Ive been cutting for about two years on and off and the reason I do is that I have so mucs emotional pain all the time that I can't deal with but when I cut, it's physical pain I feel and it distracts me from my other feelings, if that makes sense.
No, it is not good to cut yourself, but sometimes it just seems like something you have to do. And a lot of people who cut end up getting addicted.
I have depression and have been abused pretty badly in the past so I guess that sort of brought it on.
I wish I didn't do it, but it makes me feel better.

Reply 16

Anonymous #6

I've cut once.
I'm not ashamed of doing it.
And i understand completely why people do it.

For me, the physical pain was much less than the emotional pain that I was feeling at that time.. It actually just helped me escape from what I was feeling.

Reply 17

Illuminatus

Maybe people should confront their feelings instead of supressing them and trying to escape from having to.

Just a thought.

Reply 18

xxSAMMIxx

1

People do try to confront them, but i guess they can feel to big and become over whelming maybe, i think people should try to understand that it is a coping mechanism and everyone copes in different ways.

Reply 19

Anonymous #5

When people are depressed about something or have major issues in their life, it can be hard to confront the feelings you have.
Cutting is a form of coping, something to help people deal with how they feel, and maybe cutting can stop people doing something even worse.
For people who have never felt depression or the wish to self harm, then i guess it is very hard to understand.

Cutting yourself

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated