my friend cuts herself. y does she do that? im scared that something is seriously wrong! HELP!!!?

Question

im not sure what to do, is this a normal thing?

Answer 1

RELAX! My wife cuts during times of extreme stress or emotional exhaustion. Try being a listener. Letting your friend get stuff off of her chest can only help. Dont push. as long as she keeps the wounds clean, she'll be fine. I would, however, take the lightist hint of suicide very seriously though. Try to help her find better ways to deal with whats going on. heres some info for you. Good Luck. http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/cutting.html

Answer 2

OK. It is good that you are reaching out for information and help. As other posts have mentioned cutting is not that unusual,particularly for women. Also, it does not, by itself, mean that she is suicidal. She may be but that could only be determined by talking with her.
Here is what it does mean: She is cutting herself to feel better. Yes this may sound bizzare but not if you really sit down and think about it. Cutting accomplishes several things for an individual in great emotional distress. One, if they feel so bad that they must turn off all emotions and become numb then cutting, at the very least, gives them a feeling. And trust me cause I have been there, sometimes any emotion is better then just that zombie like numbness. When someone is numb they often barely feel alive. It can be that bad.
Also, drawing blood has historical roots in medicine. Not that long ago doctors would draw blood from ill patients thinking that whatever was making them sick could be purged by getting some blood out of their body. It often hurt and now we think of it as quite mad. But what I am saying is the impulse to heal by blood is not as insane as we might think.
So my basic advise to you is:
1) Try and do whatever you need to do to deal with your good friend respectfully and with warmth. If you are too upset then it will be hard for you to gain her trust or attention.
2) I would not just rush her to a doctor or hospital. First of all there are all sorts of legal issues involved in forcing psychiatric committment on someone. And two, you do not know yet just how serious this problem is. There are examples where people who cut are able to stop just by having people to open up to and trust. There are people who keep on cutting just like many people continue doing harmful, reckless behaviors. And it is possible that she is very close to an edge and requires immediate intervention.
3) What is most important is for you to really try and create a way of honest, serious open dialouge and gain more insight into her condition before acting.
I wish you all the best to you and your friend. And I appreciate that you reached out to befriend someone who you obviously care about.
Ghideon

Answer 3

It is not a normal thing. There are sooo many different reasons why a person might cut themselves. Maybe they suffered from some traumatic experience the past (i.e. abuse) or maybe they use it to cope with depression or some other mental illness, etc. It is important that your friend has a good support system because she really needs people who love her and care about her. Coming from somebody who is struggling with the same thing I know the one thing that helped me the most is having people to fall back on when things are not going well... having someone to call or go hang out with when I'm feeling like I need to hurt myself is the best thing for me right now. You need to let your friend know that you really care about her and that you want to help her and you want her to be okay but you should also try to find someone she really trusts and feels comfortable with (i.e. teacher, counselor, some other adult) and try to get her to at least tell them about it and if she doesnt and things seem really bad then maybe you should tell that person. It's diffcult to say exactly what you should do because everyone needs different things. Use your good judgement. Let her know that you do care about her.

Answer 4

This is not a normal thing but a few people find that it makes them feel better when they are feeling bad. Usually the cuts are small enough that too much blood is not lost and the cut heals. Your friend is not going to die from cutting herself, but she is in trouble. Talk to her about why she feels bad and see if you can find another way to make her feel better. She needs to talk to someone who wont try to get her put in a mental hospital. I would lick some of her blood and say something about how I like to taste her and I like having part of her inside me, because I love her so. Then I would try some prolonged hugging and kissing and maybe some kind of sex. If that idea grosses you out, or you think it will gross her out, forget it, just say that it bothers you when she cuts herself because it makes you afraid that she will kill herself, and you would be so horribly sad if you lost her. If u look as good as your picture, It would definately make me feel better if you did this to me when I was feeling bad.

Answer 5

Cutting yourself and other forms of self-mutilation are ways to 1. Get attention 2. Cry for help and 3. Express emotional pain in a physical way, usually because physical pain makes more sense and is easier to deal with.

You need to take the hint here. Most people that cut themselves can become suicidal if they are not already.

Something is indeed seriously wrong. I suggest that you talk to your friend's parents, especially if she is a minor or is still living at home. If you think that they will freak out on her or you, or if you think they will not do anything at all, then please tell someone else -

If you are a minor, tell a teacher or your guidance counselor instead.

If you are an adult, talk to a mental health professional in your area instead.

You can talk to your local health department or public mental health center about what to do without having to pay them.

Answer 6

Usually when people self inflict themselves there is something going on in her life that she can not express herself. So they cut themselves. If you are in school speak to your teacher or someone who can help. This is a very dangerous thing to do. There is always a chance that when that person cuts they can hit a artery which can cause massive blood loss leading to death. I also want you to understand that your friend will be very angry with you but don't let that stop you. Continue to be supportive. Maybe get her to open up to you. Talk and help. I am glad that your friend has someone like you in their corner.

You must tell someone though ok

Good Luck

Answer 7

talk with her confidentially and when there are no other distractions and ask her why. be calm and considerate and she'll be more open to talk to you and listen to you. don't lecture her but do warn her about the risk of cutting herself. people who do this usually have a low self-esteem so tell her how much you care about her and how worried you are about her. don't criticize her or yell at her. she doesn't need that. what she needs is a loving, caring friend like you who is willing to get her some help and stand by her the entire time.

Answer 8

I can relate to your friend. I was a "cutter" all through high school and pretty depressed. Counseling didn't help me at all. The most annoying thing is having a complete stranger pry in your life. The thing that worked for me was friends. Very close friends keeping me busy and showing that they cared. ...I was lucky. Don't let your friend go at this alone. Yeah, the cutting feels good and is very addictive but if it isn't "helping" her enough, she'll feel suicidal. Please don't look at her like she's wierd- she's a normal person just like you- but she's definitely depressed. She needs support- not shunning. ...Maybe you could talk to the school counselor (I'm assuming you're in school- I appologize if you're not) and suggest that the counselor talk with her. ...Hope everything turns out good for you and your friend :)

Answer 9

this is serious and can become more serious still. there's is most likely and underlying problem that she has or something she is concerned about and the cutting just releases the stress she's under or the sadness she is feeling. it's a cry for help. if she is truly your friend, she will understand your concern and agree to seek help.

Answer 10

I'm a nurse. She should see someone for her symptoms. This is a common thing in people who are servely depressed. They feel that the pain they feel inside is so bad. They cut themselves to actually feel better. I know this sounds strange. Talk to her about seeing a doctor before it's too late.