I think it's because it's in our genes. Body modification and scarification have been performed throughout the ages as a way to either join or reject social organizations, or to celebrate special occasions and religious holidays. These days, especially in the west, it has become sort of fashionable -- so to stand out in the crowd you have to get closer to the edge. Still, in my opinion, it's pretty tame stuff compared to the kinds of things you can see people do to themselves in Asia and Africa. The American Museum of Natural History had a exhibition on this theme a while back: http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/bodyart/ re: comments Jenniferx -- yes, I think you are right -- that crazichic was referring to the 'self-mutilators' -- though I still don't think the difference between body modification and self mutilation is that clearly defined. I agree that pride and shame are clear distinctions, I think alienation of some kind is at play in both cases, and this way of acting it out has been around for a long time. For e.g. the self flagellator's in various religious sects -- I think they are ashamed of they're sin, and proud of their scars at the same time -- like a self perpetuating cycle of suffering.

(if you're talking about "cutters" who aren't trying to adorn their body in any way) -- emotional pain is sometimes very hard to get a handle on, hard to understand. physical pain is easy & very understand-able. so you swap a pain that doesn't make sense for one that does. it calms your poor brain to give it something that it can figure out for a change.

Some consider it to be relieving or calming, especially with stress release or anxiety, since after experiencing pain, the body releases pain-killing chemicals (endorphins?) In my humble opinion, this is a much better alternative to taking drugs, even OTC drugs since it's all natural, or abusing alcohol or getting an eating disorder etc. etc. I would recommend excercise first, since it does basically the same thing w/o the risk of infection and leaving scars, but if you are going to cut, make sure you sterilize the blade first and clean the wound with antiseptic and all that. Try to cut in inconspicuous places since those scars will be there pretty much forever. At any rate, I think cutters aren't so much people who are depressed as those who tend to be affected by their environment and have high levels of anxiety or nervousness. To anyone who is cutting or is thinking of cutting, try some intense excercise when you feel stressed. Also try to cut down on processed sugars and caffiene and you may feel more relaxed to begin with.

My daughter is, was or still is a cutter. she cuts when things seem to be out of her control, it is way to know that yes, I am alive in here, seeing the blood and feeling the pain made her know that yes, she was in control of something when every thing else was out of control. It is an addiction the same as drugs or alcohol and or gambling. It takes a long time to get under control. My daughter has battled with this for many years. It is truly sad to see her pain.

In my case I just sometimes feel a lot of anger towards myself and to self harm by cutting myself I find takes away or at least takes the edge off of those feelings. I am very careful and never cut myself deeply and I always make sure that I try to use something clean and sharp to do the cutting. Please make sure that if you self harm that you do the same, or much better yet you don't self harm at all! If you know somebody that self harms then hiding really sharp knives etc. may sound like a good idea, but if somebody is determined to self harm then they will do it and a clean cut from a sharp knife can be easier to 'fix' than something done with a screwdriver or jagged glass. I really am not at all pro self harm and wish that I did not ever feel the need to do it myself, but no matter what I do I still self harm sometimes. In case anybody is wondering I do not 'get off' on pain in anyway and also I would never harm anybody else when in 'that kind of mood', only myself. Finally I would like to say that self harming does not mean suicidal, in fact I think I would have been a lot more suicidal in my life if I had not self harmed. If you are going to do it, at least try to do it safely.

You need to distinquish between "cutters" and ritualized scarification. I had a friend who was a cutter. Man, was she ever fucked up. Maybe the saddest person I ever met. She liked to cut under her watchband so no one would see it. I think she wanted to punish herself for her feelings of shame. I also think she did it to distract herself from her real issues, just like with any other addiction. She's the only cutter I ever knew personally, but from what I understand, cutting is indicative of some very deep, serious problems.

A friend of mind had this habit. It helped him to focus on the physical pain he was suffering, instead what was going on in his head. Thoughts,etc. It was some form of escape.

People who are truly self mutilators or cutters USUALLY do not even feel any pain, because they are in a dissociative state and somewhat out of body. This is also referreed to as "splitting" because part of their memories, sensations (pain) thoughts, etc. are separated for a while from their conscious mind. They are turning anger and hate and other feelings inward, not unlike a person who kills themselves, but the cutter has more control. They are often called "hesitation marks" because the person has enough control to hesitate and not cut deeply (except sometimes they do by accident hit an artery or large vein and have to have stitches or worse) but deep enough to cause a scar and a reminder. This is a serious psyhiatric disorder or symptom of other things such as Borderline Personality Disorder etc, and needs to be addressed by a psychiatrist or other person trained in self mutilative behavior disorders. Medication and cognitive therapy often work as a very good combination to getting this behavior under control. The person can learn healthier, less destructive (and not self destructive) ways to vent their anger and rage instead if they have good help from qualified doctors and therapists.

people cut themselves because they are insecure about themselves. People cut themselves because they have something to hide.

Hi, This question was asked, and some good replies to it can be found here: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/74991

Sometimes you just do not know how to deal with something. There are things that are done to you, and no one tells you how to take them. You are so full of pain, so full of just being trapped, and not knowing what to do, you resort to something, anything to relieve it. Some people choose drink, some drugs, some cutting, some something else. Now, if you have never cut yourself intentionally, you will probably not get what it feels like. Things have built up, and they are getting harder and harder to deal with. What are you meant to do? You can't talk to anyone about it, so whats left. You need a release, and thats when you turn to the scissors. It may sound stupid, but you get such a relief from it. The pain in your head is converted to physical pain, that will fade. You relax. It feels.... it feels like you can breath again. Its so hard to understand (as it always is) when it isn't you. I cut myself for three years. I know what I'm talking about. Thankfully, I realised when I'd gone too far (well, eventually).

i can answer your question. i am a former cutter and up until 7 years ago i was unable to talk about it. i started cutting when i was 14 years old. i was depressed, introverted, confused, and i hated myself. i hated being in my own skin. yes,i know, that's how a lot of teenagers feel at that awkward age. but, i was different and i knew it. i was convinced there was something wrong with me and there was, i was insecure. cutting made me feel real, it made me feel better, like a buzz. i continued to due this throughout my life and for different reasons, i became angry, suicidal. and i almost succeeded, several times. but, you know what happened, of course not, i got pregnant. i was 27. i didn't think i could get pregnant but there i was and someone was going to call me "mommy". of course i went through a lot of treatment, medications etc. but,now, well 7 years ago, i was released. so the answer to your question is,there is no one correct answer. people due it for different reasons. if someone you know is cutting, help them help themselves.

seriously, petrusromanus, email me. i'd like to talk. like said: my email is highmaintanence1999@yahoo. anytime send me your phione number or i'll send you mine. i could really use someone to talk to. i don't know about you, but i have very little friends, i'm a little shy. look foreward to hearing from you. oh my name is jena.

reading the above answers, seems to confirm what I had heard on a documenatary the other day. It appears that the sufferer is in internal pain, and the cutting ( subconsicously) allows some of this internal pain to be realeased. Its not done so much to physically hurt themselves, but to allow a release of internal trauma, that quite literally the paitient doesnt know how to deal with. They do often feel a sense of relief via the cutting, but as most of the above answers stated, they know its due to some inner turmoil, often though, they dont know what it is, or how to deal with it.

ive never cut before...because i cherish my body. but there was ONE time when it crossed my mind and i thought i understood why people might do it: i was in so much emotional pain i thought that maybe if i made myself bleed that people would realize that my pain is real, that they would THEN be able to physically SEE how much I hurt. of course i still didnt. i know people who have, and this is the closest I've ever come to understanding it.

Cause they are drugies peroid

Well I may not have as good as advice as the others but I did want to put in my input. I'am 20 years old and ever since I was 14 yrs. old I have been a cutter. I would cut all over my arms and legs when I got upset or just felt like I needed something to take the edge off. It is true you can't really feel the pain it actually feels good. I have many scares to remind me of those days and I'm not proud to say I have stopped cutting myself it has been about 8 months so far. I still think about doing it, but I look at my scares and relize I dont need to do that to myself. Everyone does it for different reasons though so it just depends. I do not think most people do it because they are on drugs or anything like that. People do it for many different reasons though. Good question and Take care.

people cut themselfs for many different reasons that alot of people wouldn't understand (especially) if you've never cut yourself. And to tell you the truth the people don't even feel it... it's like it's not you. but i still wouldn't recomend it. there are plenty of differnent ways to handle things than cut yourself. plus it just leaves a scar that probably won't go away then every time u see it you just relive the pain or anger that caused you to cut yourself in the first place. i know a couple of people who have done this and i know quite a bit about it so those are just my thoughts. Hope they helped.

I actually used to cut myself..it was so stupid as I can see now. I am not entirely sure why i did..I think it was to show myself that I am still here, I am still feeling at first. Then it becomes habit and it is the only thing that can control anything. The entire time you think you are in control of it all, when actually it is becoming a steady addiction just as powerful as any narcotic or drink. I havent cut for some time all though the scars remain as a constant reminder of how bad times were for me, and how even though it was so stupid, I got over it. I grew, I matured, I woke up to see that I could overcome anything without addictions. My mother committed suicide by overdose and the way things were heading for me looked the same, so I snapped out of it, I got help, and I realized that I would never be her. I would never give in. I hope anyone who is reading this and has this problem can understand how much of a horribly serious thing it is and stop.

I thought a lot about why I would cut myself again and again after getting over it. I did it when I was 13 because I felt alone. Then again year and a half ago due to the traumatic suicide of my long time best friend. I think I have been drinking heavy this past year because I hate my life; it is not what I had hoped for. Then excessive rough sex made me feel worthless. It made me hate him and me even more. I can’t cope with the feelings of overwhelming feelings. I’m self destructive as a way to avoid any real pain. Cutting is kind of an escape from my overwhelming emotions. I know I won’t do it again. The best thing for me to recover is to get healthy by regular exercise, no alcohol, join a support group and make new friends. I want to be the person I used to be and the person I know I am. When I think about it I feel ashamed and it makes me feel bad and then I get anxious and desire to cut my arms or legs to make the anxiety stop. I have so much stress at work and lately a co-worker is talking suicide and it pushed me over to where I feel I can’t take it anymore. I even told my boss that I was going crazy being around her. I even set a time to go to her house but cancelled for fear I would be mean to her. Instead I was mean to myself. I want it to stop, but I don’t know how. I’m not crazy or suicidal just very frustrated and that makes me angry when I can’t control how I feel.

I'm not sure if anyone is aware at this moment I'm just wondering if ou are there? Cut my life into pieces this is my last resort, suffocation no meaning?..

People cut for many reasons. I myself used to be a cutter and I found that cutting would make the anger go away, help me when I was sad, or lonely. I did it for attention. I did it cause I was taken away from my mom so I thought I needed to be punished. I did it to get back at my social worker. But many other people do it for many other reasons. I guess it just depends on how they are feeling at the time to whether or not they want to cut.

I am 25 and I began self harming, cutting, burning and hitting myself, around age 12. I believe that when I started hurting myself, I was totally out of my mind. I grew up in an extremely violent and abusive household and used self harm as a way to feel control in some aspect of my life. Also, I was intensely angry and needed a way to express it in a way that I felt was safe. It was not safe, of course, but I felt such rage against myself and my parents that I thought if I felt it, or let myself feel any amount of it, that it would kill me. I truly felt that the anger would kill me and I seemed deathly afraid to feel any of it. When I cut, I was in a dissociative state most of the time. There were times when I did feel pain but most of the time, I did not. I have something called Dissociative Identity Disorder, and although I don't generally like to "hide" behind a label, I believe this was a large part of the problem. Dissociative Identity Disorder, (DID), used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder and I feel that having this disorder saved my life even though I was self harming most of the time. I think because of the severity of abuse, there was no other way for me to get through the pain of it all. I was sexually, physically, emotionally and religiously abused. (I am not sure what to really call "religiously abused" but I was just told that Satan was watching me and told that God hated me, etc. This still has an effect on me to this day) I want to describe what a typical self harming episode was like for me. I just want to warn you, this might be disturbing to some readers. I would start to feel very anxious, it would start to go beyond my level of "comfortable" anxiousness, anger, sadness, etc. I say comfortable but I was never comfortable. I was "white-knuckling" life and was constantly consumed with my mental pain and thinking about it. I would be very impulsive but as I got better, I get less impulsive. I cut the deepest when I was impulsive which makes sense. I would put the razor blade on my skin and dare myself to cut deep and I would get angry at myself if I didn't, which further fueled my desire to cut. I thought that I was more strong by cutting, which I am not sure what I think about that right now but logically, it doesn't make much sense to me. Sometimes, I would cut and immediately clean it and put a band-aid on it and go to bed or go to school, or wherever. Other times, I would cut and let the blood drip off of me. I was really out of my mind by this time. Sometimes, because of my elevated emotional state, I would fall asleep right after cutting. What happens is that my heart would beat fast, my mind would race because I was so angry, sad, etc, and my body would get very agitated. Once I cut, I imagine it being like letting some steam out, literally. Once I saw the blood, I felt relief. Somehow, I had associated seeing my own blood with emotional relief. The adrenaline from my agitated emotional state was stopped, because I cut, and I felt sleepy and relaxed. The scars started to just be another part of my life and I hid them because I was ashamed of them. I wore long sleeve shirts for 4 or 5 years. In the beginning, when I started hurting myself, I did small cuts but once it escalated and I started doing more damage to my body, I had to hide. I would wear long sleeve shirts if I cut, which by this time was not daily, or even weekly but I would go through phases of rough times and cut maybe everyday for 3 days or twice in one week, but then I wouldn't cut for another month. Last spring, of 2006, I completely stopped cutting. I didn't stop hiding until July of 2006. Over the summer I began to feel less shame over my scars because I wasn't doing it anymore. Now, I don't even notice them. It has been almost one year since the last time I hurt myself and I can't even imagine being in so much pain that that was the only option I could think of. If you are engaging in self harm, please get help. There IS a light at the end of that tunnel you are in. I didn't believe it, but I am here, at the end where the light is. I urge you to speak with someone about this and get help. You are not "sick" or "evil" or anything negative like that. Don't let anyone tell you that. You have a problem and this can be solved. Life is so much better when you are not obsessed with cutting and pain. I hope this helps. You all deserve so much better.

Because they are depressed, Sick, Tired, Some people cut their selfs because things are going there way in life. If you've lost someone because of this, I give you my sympathy. AnswerWoman532

Well, you really do not connect with empathy, no emotions is a worse place than mine. I cut myself to make my mind shut up. After one cut I feel safe and in control of myself. I then can connect with other people, as I'm no longer focused on my problems. Not selfish, just self indulgent.

I was a cutter in high school. I started at age 16 after I was molested by my father. I think that the reason for it, was that I felt like I was dead on the inside. I was numb. When I cut myself, it made me feel and reminded me that I was alive. I cut myself for about a year and a half. A friend saw what I was doing to myself all the time, and spoke to the school guidance councellor who helped me talk about what had happened to me. I found that after I spoke about it, I started to feel better. It was important for me to talk about the abuse. For me, talking about it gave me another way of dealing with the experience. By talking to a professional, you will be able to work together to find a healthy way to deal with the abuse that will not be self- destructive.

To make themselves look more interesting than just a plain canvas of skin. If you have scars and burn marks that can be a talking point where people ask questions about them. I like like burns and scars, most of them were accidents and a few were sell inflicted for artistic purposes.

I think the main reasons are because they are trying to cover up emotional pain with physical pain and because it is a way that they can punish themselves for different things. I'm not an expert,but this is my opinion and it's been what I was told by former "cutters".

I was sexually abused by by biological father and then when I was 32 years old by my step father. Cutting and watching the blood drain made me feel like I was draining the poison from my body - the poison in me that made them want to do this stuff as well as the poison that they infected me with. THat is only one of the many reasons why I cut.

When people feel numb, pain is better than nothing in their minds or when the pain inside is greater than that from harming themselves, they might cut. These are a couple of the reasons - but they are not good reasons. Cutters need help and they need it now. It is a deep cry for help. Something has gone dreadfully wrong. If you know a cutter, please encourage them to see a professional counselor and let them know that they are loved and supported.

I am a cutter and I do it because it feels good. I am not suicidal or angry, just sad. The physical pain kills the emotional pain. I don't think I've ever met anyone who has cut themselves, but I would like to. Cutting can be a very satisfying thing and I don't necassarily condone it, but if you're going to do it please be careful.

It is an attention-seeking behavior with an accompanying adrenaline response that some find soothing.

Trouble shaving.

Sorry if I've sounded so negative towards people. I guess because it's such a sensitive issue and I still cannot manage to stop, that I feel defensive towards any answer that feels critical. Sorry again.

I believe people cut themselves to relieve their stress or pain that they are feeling. I am a psychology major specializing in eating disorders, and I know women or girls with anorexia, bulimia, or EDNS cut themselves to replace the pain of not eating or to block the suffering from the disease.

Most people who cut either do it for attention or to let out angst. I should know; last year I cut myself and I pulled out half of my hair. I didn't feel any pain out of it either.

some people do it to take out the anger on themselves, to turn emotional pain into physical pain so relieve stress. some do it for attention. some people do it to kill them selves.

Here is a link to a good article to help people who are sruggling with this problem. Why Do I Hurt Myself? http://www.watchtower.org/e/200601a/article_01.htm

I used to cut. I started cutting not longer after I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Prior to the diagnosis I had been at college, where I went manic, slept with a pile of people in less than sanitary conditions, got into fights and was near constantly buzzing in the head. I had a huge depressive plunge after that and went catatonic. Nothing worked, no drugs, counselling nothing. My area didn't have an electric shock machine. They finally found an anti-depressant an a antidepressant that sort of worked, though I was nauseous and unable to keep food down (Venlafaxine). Then I started to go high again. That's when I started cutting. The reason I cut was because I was just so full of negative energy (anger, sadness, violence, fear, rage etc). It was like having electricity buzzing in my head the entire time. I couldn't stand it. The only way I found useful for removing that electricity was cutting. I started cutting to see what it felt like, I think. I was angry and I just slashed up and down my arm. Every violent slash made me feel better. I suppose I wanted my parents to see it, I wanted the people around me to see it, to know how angry I was. But then I felt guilty, washed it and wrapped it and hid it and when they saw the marks I told them the cat attacked me. After that, I started hiding the cuts. Cutting made me feel better. That's why I cut myself. It felt like like the only way to get all those huge feelings thundering through my head out of there and gone. If I could have found a vacant field and screamed the top off my head it would have been the same feeling. I was just so sick of all the pain, sick of nothing working to make me feel better. This took some of the pressure off, but I had to keep doing it, more and more to have the same effect. It was like a drug. This is the same way sex and violence had partially stabilised me at university. I stopped cutting after winding up in the ER with stitches and hearing my mother cry. She said that she and Dad had wanted a child so much they had gone through IVF 3 times before conceiving me and she didn't want me to keep hurting her. My mother never cried. That was the only time I've ever seen her and it's making me cry now. That was the only thing that got through to me - the realisation that I was hurting my family. Growing up, my family were loving and very close. My parents later had twins and a son. My Mum was sick twice when I was growing up, and seemed to be in hospital for months when her bowel and livers began to fail. I lost two grandparents within 3 months of each other very suddenly at 10, causing my first depressive episode. I also went to a school where it was the norm for fights to break out between students, resulting in broken bones. When I was seven a boy broke my nose. By the time I was 9 the boys were starting to feel the girls up and comment lewdly on our bodies. It was repugnant, but there was nothing I could do about it. I thought it was normal. I think that this has contributed to my mental illness, my sexual behaviour and to my anger.

being clumbsy is one :)

The scars on my arms are a sign of my pain Not a sign of me going insane When I cut I feel so free The blood dripping out is the evil in me When the razor slices my flesh Its showing the world my heads in a mess The pain lets me feel I’m real I’m here Because of my emptiness I don’t feel my tears They call it self harming I call it self detestation and despair For always I feel life is unfair Self pity it may be But I’m hurting no one but me! this is ,my peom about my selfharming

For some, cutting is way of asking for attention, to show others that something is wrong, that they need help without having to ask for it directly. For others, it's just a way of replacing emotional pain with physical pain- it relieves you, makes you feel better. For the rest, it's an addiction. Something so hard to say no to. It's like any other addiction; alcohol, drugs...cutting. If you're a child of an addict, no matter what the addiction be, you have a chance of being that way towards something. It could be alcohol, drugs, cutting, videogames, computer, writing, anything. Take me, for example. I'm the daughter of an alcoholic. I never thought I was ever addicted to anything. Until I finally saw (recently) that cutting was becoming a problem. I started cutting for emotional reasons. But it soon spiraled into a coping mechanism for me. Not a very good one, but one nonetheless. Just like my fathers' is alcohol, mine is cutting. Reasons can go anywhere from personal problems such as family, school, stress, friends... to any little thing; your parents ask you to wash the dishes, you cut. You have to do homework, you cut. You see someone you don' like, you cut. It really depends, on the person.

The physical pain distracts you from the emotional pain, which is a constant torment. The stinging pain of the cut isn't nearly as severe as is the relief from the emotional torment.

humm let's see..they hate themselves, they think they can't do anything correctly, they think nobody loves them, they cant take the world, they are angry at the world/parents/anything..well those are some of the reasons i USED to cut..but my new boyfriend has kept me from doing it..it's a very hard thing to understand unless you went through it yourself..:/

Depression and anxiety are the issues behind the topic of self-injury. People are led to cut by hyper-stress (which is triggered) or dissociation. Hyper-stress is being very overwelmed. Dissociation is feeling numb, or lost. Self-injurers cut to "bring themselves back." They feel the need to do this because of the adrenaline they are facing from the depression, and/or anxiety. My therapist adamently believe ice has this same effect, and can be an alternative, healthier, yet still temporary coping mechanism. To overcome self-injury the cutter needs to have lessened depression/anxiety, and a "tool-box" of ways to handle inevitable stress. Therapy is the best option to get on the right path.

hmmmm.. they think that physical pain get rids of their emotional hurt. and that cutting themselves shifts the focus of their minds i guess.. it's sort of like to trick yourself

i dont know for sure because ive never done it myself but i think its a way of forgetting there emotional pain for a while. i have heard people say it makes them feel better but afterwards they feel guilty so it makes things worse.

Shifts focus, eases the overall pain, symbolic of internal torment, etc I did it because I was near deliriously depressed and pretty much suicidal - at the time it gave me something real and distinct to focus on, something to take my mind off other things (try focusing on something else when there's a huge gash in your arm... lol) I view it as something that I think I needed to do, though I kinda regret the scars on my upper arms from it (I'm thankful that I never did it in a place that is always visible to people - though now I feel I must always wear shirts so people don't see all the scarring). ***** Anyway, the important thing to realise is that in 'most' cases, the people who do it aren't entirely in control of themselves, or don't have a very clear perception of reality... It is very, very bad to look at such people as idiots or something - they are often far more tormented than their exterior would let you know.

I don’t know what it is called, but my wife have done this when she was a kid, she had a unhappy childhood, her father rejected them when she was 9 years old, the idea that I got is that it made her forget about the pain inside of her for a while.

It's called self-mutilation. Usually done because of self-loathiong, low self esteem, a cry for help/attention. Common among teenagers. Also common among wannabe goths who think its cool

People cut themselves to release their anger and pain. Or they might just like how it looks/feels. There are so many different reasons. Maybe they don't have a lot of friends and feel alone in the world. Or maybe they feel out of control and they cut because that is one thing they can control. If you are a cutter, you should get help. Or at least talk to somebody. Your parents, your friends, or you boyfriend/girlfriend would all be more than willing to help. Anybody who loves you would. Just get the help you need before it goes too far.

Number #1 reason: Borderline Personality Disorder.

I have no idea...I really have trouble understanding the whole 'emo' idea.

People have been cutting themselves far before emo even became popular. Sometimes people do it as a distraction from mental pain. Other times because the person hates something about themselves. It can be a cry for attention. On some levels a spiritual moment. I heard something about that back in the biblical days some people believed you can cure someone from demons or disease by bleeding them out. I doubt they found much success with that.

im 16 and i cut myself because i screwed up a relationship with a girl, i know its a stupid reason but it makes me feel better and helps me keep going.

i actually started cutting at 11 years of age and im 19 now and i have stopped completely.Me & My best friend started cutting at the same time.it was very stupid of us.usually we would do it at school i would ask one of my classmates to borrow a compass then using the sharp end i would cut myself.i would put my hand and the compass under my desk and then CUT! even when the teacher was talking at the front of the room.my boyfriend once saw me cutting in class and got really worried He has helped me get through this and i thank him for that.i will never cut again

truly,,people never know why they are prone to cutting. i am married and have two beautiful children 7 and 12. and still at times i have flashbacks. to what? i worked at a psychiatric center as a cna, a client beat me up and i had my first psychotic break is what they called it. PTSD>post traumatic stress disorder..ya think!!!duh!! ok so that was almost 1 1/2 yrs ago. my kids were home when i got here from work and saw how badly i had been beaten up. man then it started. the counselors, doctors, psychiatrists, the pills..the weight gain. i was only 187 and 5'8". not too bad, now i am still the same height and 223. so lets add weight into the equation. a little less self esteem, cause you know i already didnt have any. i cant hold any form of stressful job or any job at all really for longer than 2 months. then i feel like i lose control all over again. last week about this time i was doing research on bipolar as i have also been diagnosed with that since then. as well as generalized anxiety/depression disorder. more pills. i went to the bathroom, next thing i know my arm is bleeding. i took care of it, then i went to bed. however, here comes the down hill. the next day at work 2 more times when i was in the bathroom one on each side of the orig cut. i freaked. i went to my HR lady and she took care of me. because i did it at work, i am now on sick leave indefinitely. nice huh?! i dont remember doing it, i remember fixing it, and the stress of telling my boss that picked me over 48 other applicants that i needed to go home which made it even worse. i went to my dr that day and he said at least 2 weeks until i go back. what now? i dont know why i cut, i dont remember when i cut, or how. i dont think i feel better. but i am a 32 yr old woman with a family and my children have seen me at my worst and at such young ages, if i start cycling they tend to talk to me down and tuck me in until grama can get here. this is the first time it has happened in over a year. mostly i just disolve into tears. so my answer to cutting: sometimes there just isnt one.

SM has a few reasons: often OCD or PTSD sometimes it's just a way of changing a mental or emotional pain/stress to something that's easier to handle. some people cry. others cut. other times it's a way to make somebody feel. because emotionally they become numb. i guess these are some?

I was for 4 years and still kind of is a cutter... i did it cause i was so stressed and as i cut myself it seemed to relive everything... then i started to even when little things were bothering me... parents, boyfreind, school, work, myself... i would cut my legs, arms, wrist, belly, sides... and i would ALWAYS wear long sleaves and stuff... its like a addiction... its hard to quit...

I always heard it was a control thing.

i was told it is so they can feel 'something'

Some of them find emotional support in the practice, others just lack a hobby.

I never really understood why people do that. It doesn't seem like a popular thing to do here, so I'm not familiar with it at all. However, i would push any cutters out there to seek some help: a friend , family, anyone that cares.

Not all cutters are suicidal. I once did it, for artistic reasons. Doing so is actually considered normal in some societies. I don't do it anymore though. US Americans are very judgemental. I already have enough going against me. (Example: Asperger's Syndrome)

some reasons people cut themselves, is that they think that they are ugly, fat and not perfect. Also sometimes people gets, or used to be abused, by someone, also because it is a cry for love and help. Also for a friend they can talk to and trust. Also for attention.

Hello, I am a mother of a cutter, and I read all of the comments you all made, and I just found out my daughter does this like 1 yr. ago, because she cut herself where I could not see, now she cuts herself on her arms and wrist, and I did not understand at first, and in some ways I still don't but I know that there is a reason to trade one pain for another. I am trying really hard to understand, and I do not live close to her , she is like 2 hrs. from me and I worry all the time, she calls me alot when she is feeling like she is going to do it, but no matter what I say she does it anyways, and the other day she had a bad day and cut herself like12 times and 1 of the cuts was really bad, and she went to the ER at the hospital, and she thought they were going to lock her up there, but the did let her go home, I am trying really really hard to find her a support group in her area, Greenville, SC, so she can talk to others who have or do this and she will have someone who understands her, because thats her biggest thing is that we don't understand why she does it, and that it actually calms her down, she has a boyfriend, and he is of no help , I don't think he understands she cannot just wake up one day and not have this problem anymore. She has a therapist, but thats not going too well either. I love my daughter so very much and I just want to help her. If anyone here knows of a support group or can give me any ideas for her, she is willing to try other ways to cope woth her anxiety and panic, cause this is when she does it. Please email me anything, sandit4@yahoo.com, thanks in advance and God Bless you all.

for love, attention, to be be cared for. Also it is a cry for help.

Hi, I came here to talk about cutting because I feel like doing it again, often, and maybe talking about it will help me sort out my emotions. I haven't cut in over five years, though it is so tempting sometimes. Sometimes, after a fight with my dad where he's pushed me or called me names, I've felt this tingling sadness inside that left me tearful, with headaches, and very emotionally hurt, and I've wanted to do it again. This is often late at night, when I'm in bed, right after a fight. I'm an athlete (track and field, x-country) who has a great shot at doing some great things. However, prior to my realization of who I am I went through a period where some really weird shit was going on in my mind. It started with paranoia at the young age of 7. Sometimes I felt like people were constantly talking about me or watching me, and I knew that it wasn't true. I thought it was a normal suspicion that was easily dismissed because I did know the difference between reality and "make-believe". Then, for a period of about a year, I felt angry and empty. I couldn't enjoy music at all. Then, one day, I woke up and was in the car with my mom and I could. My parents fought all the time, and my dad has always been really controlling. My parents don't understand or know me, and I have a brother with Asperger's whom they invest all their attention in even though I am so competitive and involved in so many activities, and sometimes the loneliness becomes too much. I'm a writer, and a runner, and a philanthropist and I remind myself that my identity doesn't allow cutting. Then I'm able to stop. Plus, I really want to do it to see myself hurt, because sometimes I have resented what I must have done to make my dad hate me, or to have a brother who doesn't even know I exist, etc. I really don't want other people to see it. But then I know how hard that would be, because I run and like to wear short sleeved shirts. It would be awfully hard to hide, although I've pondered cutting, waiting until the area heals, and then cutting over the same scar. But then I know that that would become addicting, and I don't want to be back in that place. One day I carved "Life Sucks" into my arm. God, I resent that day. The scars have faded, but you can still see the pink tint. I've moved between schools, and the transitions have been a bit hard on me. Plus, I'm torn between running and school and school life. Basically, here is why I have cut: 1. Loneliness 2. The High, which I now get through running 3. Control. I resent my father's control. Hate him. Well, hopefully when I go off to college I'll be rid of it forever.

Well I suffered from depression, It started when I was harrased at my new school and my sister that i lived with was never home. I would feel depressed, alone and helpless. I knew that a girl at my old school would cut herself. I dont remember when I started but at the time the feeling and the pain as well as the sight gave me a temporary releif, and even after during the day when i could feel the cut beneath my shirt sleeve it reminded me i was alive. Last February was the last time I had cut up till last month(November)it is a year since a major suicide attempt. Long story short. Now as I lay in bed I feel numb, I dont feel happy and I dont feel sad. I cut to feel. Just to remind myself that I am here. Sometimes I crave the razor to my skin as I do a cigerette. It is like an addiction as I read in a comment above and it is hard to quit. I dont cut for attention, right now I rarely even do. But I feel different when I do. Cutting is a way of escape for some people, some people like the sight of their blood and others to it to feel. Cutting is one of the many self harming as well as hitting onself, burning etc.

Well I am a cutter and its mostly cause of depression, anxiety, wanting to be popular or fit in with everyone else, school stuff like grades and ect..

i cut because i hurt. i cut because i feel alone. i cut because no one else understands. i cut because i don't know what else to do.

ive always consider the idea of "cutting" and so forth but to tell all cutters, there are other ways to help urself..for years i havent been dealing well with stress and such but i found my approach in sports and running. Mayb you can try doing something that you enjoy while also getting all your stress or any reason out of your system. it can even help for abit. usually those who cut don't do it for the attention or bc they just feel like it.. theres always a deep reason for their actions. it may seem unrealistic to sum but its a way to control their own emotions.

I started cutting when I was sixteen. Seventeen I was in a Psychologists office for about a year and a half. When I was 20, I fell in love for the first time, and everything was going good. This passed April, things ended between us, and he's seeing someone else (this happened in June), and I can't get around it. I feel like throwing up every time I know he's with her, or when he talks about her I just want to cry. The self destruction is back, having left me for a good three years, and I don't want to stop doing it. I won't ever kill myself, because I know it wouldn't help anything. I just feel stuck. I've tried to move on, and I either get hurt by others actions or the falsity of words. When I'm upset or hurt, it's all I think about. I don't really know how else to help myself other then to just let this pain ease itself through mutilation.

on thier arms, writst, anywhere. some ppl use it as a stress relief thing. others use it to release pain.

That's been common for a while. They cut to release the natural endorphins in their body. It's a sick way to escape reality. Usually they cut anywhere it can be hidden.

upper legs, upper arms (usually places covered by clothes so they don't have to explain to ignorant people "what is that") and then get a 30 minute lecture on how BAD that person is. It's usually done by razors, knives. It's something people do when their lives are out of control and that is the ONLY thing they feel they have control over. Also some people think they are so bad they deserve the "bleed"/bleed out the bad, maybe it's replaced with good blood.

It is common to see people that cut on their wrists, but people who are more serious cutters will do it where it can't be seen like the thighs arms and hip area. Cutters will use many things to make themselves bleed, most common is a razor blade. There are different reasons that people cut. Some do it to make sure they still fee. others do it because they feel like it's the only thing left that they have control over. Some teens who suffer from depression turn to cutting. Some people just feel bad about something they've done and regret so they use it as a punishment. It has to do with control and knowing they feel something.

to make sure that i'm still alive. the pain lets me know that i am alive. there are days were is it just so hard to know if i'm alive or not.

I don't really know, I kinda just picked up my scrapbooking blade and ran it across my arm, I like to see if I can actually hurt myself, if I am strong enough to cut into my arm. So far I haven't even made myself bleed just made lines. I don't want anyone to know though. I always wear my sweater so nobody notices but they probably wouldn't anyway they're not too big.

TO MAKE SURE YOU CAN FEEL SOMETHING

it relieves the pain. you know, kind of the concept 'bloody tears' except there really are people whose tear ducts release blood. People become cutters when something that really upset them happens. Usually its an attempt to end their life. Some peopl cut because they want attention or to be cool as well with their friends or whoever they try to impress. You can tell the difference between the two because in the cutter that does it because they are suffering mental anguish, they do not feel pain when they cut their wrist. The phonies will be all tearful and you can see that they are hurting themselves, like you can see that they feel the blade.

pinkpiggies i think says it best im 17 and i do self harm and i think she hit it on the head when saying he daughter does it when she feels like things are out of her control, theres so many reasons people do it it all depends on the kinda person they are for example someone could do it because they get dumped but it also comes down to how they cop with it and if they just feel lik it always happens to them, for me a few reasons i do it is if i get let down by someone that i trustd and when family problems just get to much for me to deal with seeing the blood feels like the pain and upset is just flowing out and seeing the blood for me, is a relief

The emotional pain is so hard to deal with ... it builds up to the point that it feels like your head, your heart ... your very being will explode. It feel's as if the "cutting " will help to release the pressure. It just seems to make it easier to be "normal" - when you feel anything but. I'm 48 ... I don't cut as often as I did when I was young.My mother could reduce me to absolute nothing. Now, I'm married to someone like my mother. And some days I find that constantly trying to explain every little thing I say to be so frustrating .... so exhausting that cutting is the only thing that relieves the pressure. Otherwise, I would lose my mind.