Why is cutting yourself unethical?

Question

It increases pain-tolerance and strengthens your immune system.

Granted you have to know what you're doing and where to cut.

I don't cut, so don't waste your time telling me to stop or sumthn.

Answer 1

Well, if that was the desired purpose, then there are other more effective ways to increase pain tolerance and strenghten your immune system. The problem with cutting is that it is not done for these reasons, but is the behaviour of someone who is mentally unhealthy and using cutting to hurt themselves both physically and mentally despite the temporary release right afterwards. Hurting oneself or others is unethical.

Answer 2

I will tell you to stop or sumthin. Your attitude towards this is very unrealistic. It does not strengthen your immune system. I am a medical lab tech and have had to run test on various cutters because of infection setting in. You saying that you have to know what you are doing shows that in your mind at least you have considered this. Most cutters do so to lesson physical and mental pain that they want to forget or don't feel they can deal with at the time. Causing ones self intentional physical harm has never been viewed as ethical by today's society. With the knowledge that is now afforded to us on how to take care of ourselves mentally and physically anyone who practices this need to be strongly encourage to get help. Cutting ones self is a big cry for help.

Answer 3

Before you ask or answer your question, you should ask why you cut. To build or strengthen immune system is an excuse. Everyone gets sick once in a while, that will be enough to build immune system. Doesn't that mean, you should go get yourself flu or cold or fever purposely???

If it is for the immune system purpose, give blood is a better idea than just cutting yourself.

Why women live longer than men? There are few factors, one of the factors is they are losing blood (period) and gaining or circling the blood cycle. That applies same theory about giving blood or your theory .. but that is not out of woman nature, not purposely.

If you have to do something in purpose , give blood rather

Answer 4

Think about it this way: it would be unethical to cut another person just because you wanted to, right? Unless you're a surgeon or something like that, cutting other people is wrong and inhumane. Why then, would it be appropriate to do it to yourself?

And I'm not sure about any immune system benefit. You could catch infections and tetanus that way for sure.

Cutting is a sign of serious psychological problems. It's not something that we should allow people to do without trying to help them.

Answer 5

I don't really believe that cutting yourself is unethical, i do believe that it is a sign of a deeper problem. My husband has been a cutter and once he got the help he needed (medication and counseling) his cutting tendencies seemed to lessen. I think people do it to try to cover up the pain that they are feeling inside. I mean...if they are so depressed and feel so terrible in their own heads, by cutting their outside they can try to mask that pain. I don't really understand but it is their way of self medicating. So it is not really unethical.

Answer 6

Not everyone agrees that cutting yourself is unethical. There is an important distinction between things that are unethical, and unhealthy. Also, depending on how the person cuts themselves, it may be more or less unhealthy. It also can become addictive, and in many ways parallels drug use--it's a way for people to escape problems instead of dealing with them.

Most people object to cutting because they have a sort of visceral reaction to it--thinking about it evokes fear of pain and/or the sight of blood. People often attack behaviour that they fear or do not understand. Some people mistakenly associate cutting with suicidal behaviour, and may have ethical problems with suicide.

Most people who cut use it as a mechanism for reducing stress. In many ways, it's like drug-use, except that the drugs involved are naturally produced endorphins, released in response to the pain and physical trauma. Even though cutting is safer than most forms of drug use, it is very similar to it in many respects--people use it as a way to avoid dealing with a problem. They may feel helpless to find a real solution to their problems so they result to a physical process that helps distract them and make them feel good even when things aren't good.

Cutting is a complex thing--it's hard to say that it's "good" or "bad"...people have reasons for doing it, but it can cause a lot of problems--and most importantly, it's a way people use to escape their problems instead of dealing with them.

Answer 7

Unethical? Interesting choice. Cutting is a symptom of borderline personality disorder. Psychologists predicted that the rise of day care use would cause a rise in borderline personality disorder and judging from all the people cutting, it certainly has. All these babies feeling unloved. So sad.

Answer 8

It's not unethical. I guess its just looked down upon like drugs and eating disorders are. I think its just an addiction and a form of self expression. everyone has different ways for showing emotion and masking problems and this is just another form.

Answer 9

I've never heard that it is unethical (?) I've heard that people do this as a way of "letting out" or expressing their inner pain .. that they are unable to express in any other way. I don't think I'd care for all the obvious scarring it would cause. Good Luck ! :)

Answer 10

It's not. It's just self-destructive and you get scars, which is bad. I think there are better ways to increase pain-tolerance and immune system.