i need HELP with this am i still a cutter? cus....?

Question

im so happy i have not cut myself in 3 weeks.! but am i still a cutter?what will happin if i want to cut agin?if im sad mad and cut?i know i should know all this but i dont..can you help me out?? i im trying to be cut free.just about 8 years ive been a cutter.thats to long for me! im 19 and still a cutter?what do you think i should do??

Answer 1

call 1800 dont cut. try also psyke.org/faqs/cutting to discourage u from cutting. and also try wikihow.com/
Stop-cutting-yourself
teenadviceonline.org. i'm here if u need support [e-mail]

Answer 2

Congratuations on not cutting for so long. I know that's really hard to do.

Cutting is addictive, so to some extent you'll always be a cutter. Like how AA members are encouraged to view themselves as "recovering alcoholics," even if they haven't had a drink in years. From what I've heard from others who stopped cutting years ago, you'll still have urges to cut occassionally, even when you haven't done it for years. But they'll be less strong and less often than when you were actively cutting, and if you don't give into them, they'll pass.

There are lots of things that people do when they're trying to stop cutting, and different things work or don't work for different people. You can find a lot of suggestions for stopping, as well as support from other recovering cutters here: http://www.recoveryourlife.com/Forum/default.aspx

Answer 3

Your fear that you may cut yourself again, is in part just because it was a habit that worked for you--to relieve the tension of strong emotions.
Good for you that you have stopped and that you're seeking other skills to cope with the feelings--intense sadness, frustrated anger.
This time when that stuff starts up, talk to someone who might understand you--a woman you look up to, a parent, friends.
Do you play at any sport? Going out and playing hard(!), running, tennis--these kinds of things can release that tension.
You've stayed cut free for a long time, congratulations.
I'm happy for you!

Answer 4

do somthing in stead swearing worked 4 my mate, my other mate stopped cause it was upsetting her other mate, and i am trying to stop, try holding ice thats worked for me lately . good luck on staying off the cutting just dont think about it and you wont do it xxx

Answer 5

I found a similar question. This is my answer for her friend and now you.


What Is Cutting?
Cutting is a type of self -injury. Injuring yourself on purpose by making scratches or cuts on your body with a sharp object - enough to break the skin and make it bleed - is called cutting. Cutting is more common among girls, but guys sometimes self-injure, too. People may cut themselves on their wrists, arms, legs, or bellies. Some people self-injure by burning their skin with the end of a cigarette or lighted match. Lindsay Lohan , Billy Bob Thornton,and Johnny Depp are admitted cutters.



When cuts or burns heal, they often leave scars or marks. People who injure themselves usually hide the cuts and marks and sometimes no one else knows.

Self-injury is not new. It's also not a very common behavior. But lately people are talking about it more. As guys and girls hear about cutting, they may feel curious about it and why people do it. Because it seems a little bit forbidden, some younger teens may think that cutting might make them seem daring, grown up, or popular.

With all the talk about it, cutting can almost seem like the latest fad. But cutting is a serious problem.

Why Do People Cut Themselves?
Cutting is what experts call an unhealthy coping mechanism. This means that the people who do it have not developed healthy ways of dealing with strong emotions, intense pressure, or upsetting relationship problems.


There are lots of good, healthy ways to cope with difficulties, such as talking problems over with parents, other adults, or friends; putting problems in perspective; and getting plenty of exercise. But people who cut haven't developed these skills. When emotions don't get expressed in a healthy way, tension can build up - sometimes to a point where it seems almost unbearable. Cutting may be an attempt to relieve that extreme tension. It's a confused way of feeling in control. That's one of the reasons why younger teens are more likely to cut.

The urge to cut might be triggered by strong feelings the person can't express - such as anger, hurt, shame, frustration, or depression. People who cut sometimes say they feel they don't fit in or that no one understands them. A person might cut because of losing someone close or to escape a sense of emptiness. Cutting might seem like the only way to find relief, or the only way to express personal pain over relationships or rejection.

People who cut or self-injure sometimes have other mental health problems that contribute to their emotional tension. Cutting is sometimes (but not always) associated with depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, obsessive thinking, or compulsive behaviors. It can also be a sign of mental health problems that cause people to have trouble controlling their impulses or to take unnecessary risks. Some people who cut themselves have problems with drug or alcohol abuse.

Some people who cut have had a traumatic experience, such as living through abuse, violence, or a disaster. Self-injury may feel like a way of "waking up" from a sense of numbness after a traumatic experience. Or it may be a way of reinflicting the pain they went through, expressing anger over it, or trying to get control of it.

What Can Happen to People Who Cut?
Although cutting may provide some temporary relief from a terrible feeling, even people who cut agree that cutting isn't a good way to get that relief. For one thing, the relief doesn't last - the troubles that triggered the cutting remain, they're just masked over.

People don't usually intend to hurt themselves permanently when they cut. And they don't usually mean to keep cutting once they start. But both can happen. It's possible to misjudge the depth of a cut, making it so deep that it requires stitches (or, in extreme cases, hospitalization). Cuts can become infected if a person uses nonsterile or dirty cutting instruments - razors, scissors, pins, or even the sharp edge of the tab on a can of soda.

Most people who cut aren't attempting suicide. Cutting is usually a person's attempt at feeling better, not ending it all. Although some people who cut do attempt suicide, it's usually because of the emotional problems and pain that lie behind their desire to self-harm, not the cutting itself.

Cutting can be habit forming. It can become a compulsive behavior - meaning the more a person does it, the more he or she feels the need to do it. The brain starts to connect the false sense of relief from bad feelings to the act of cutting, and it craves this relief the next time tension builds. When cutting becomes a compulsive behavior, it can seem impossible to stop. So cutting can seem almost like an addiction. A behavior that starts as an attempt to feel more in control can end up controlling you.

How Does Cutting Start?
Cutting often begins on an impulse. It's not something the person thinks about ahead of time. But you can't get your mind off feeling upset, and your body has this knot of emotional pain. Before you know it, you're cutting yourself. And then somehow, you're in another place. Then, the next time you feel awful about something, you try it again - and slowly it becomes a "habit." So what started as as an impulse readily develops into a habit.


It 's a way to distract herself from feelings of rejection and helplessness she felt she couldn't bear. "I never looked at it as anything that bad at first - just my way of getting my mind off something I felt really awful about. I guess part of me must have known it was a bad thing to do, though, because I always hid it."

Sometimes self-injury affects a person's body image. I felt kind of bad when they started to heal - and so I would 'freshen them up' by cutting again. Now I can see how crazy that sounds, but at the time, it seemed perfectly reasonable to me. I was all about those cuts - like they were something about me that only I knew.


You can't force someone who self-injures to stop. It doesn't help to get mad at a friend who cuts, reject that person, lecture her, or beg him to stop. Instead, let your friend know that you care, that he or she deserves to be healthy and happy, and that no one needs to bear their troubles alone.

Cutting - The New Cool?
Girls and guys who self-injure are often dealing with some heavy troubles. Many work hard to overcome difficult problems. So they find it hard to believe that there are some teens who cut just because they think it's a way to seem tough and rebellious.


Getting Help
There are better ways to deal with troubles than cutting - healthier, long-lasting ways that don't leave a person with emotional and physical scars. The first step is to get help with the troubles that led to the cutting in the first place.

Here are some ideas for doing that:

1. Tell someone. People who have stopped cutting often say the first step is the hardest - admitting to or talking about cutting. But they also say that after they open up about it, they often feel a great sense of relief. Choose someone you trust to talk to at first (a parent, school counselor, teacher, coach, doctor, or nurse). If it's too difficult to bring up the topic in person, write a note.

2. Identify the trouble that's triggering the cutting. Cutting is a way of reacting to emotional tension or pain. Try to figure out what feelings or situations are causing you to cut. Is it anger? Pressure to be perfect? Relationship trouble? A painful loss or trauma? Mean criticism or mistreatment? Identify the trouble you're having, then tell someone about it. Many people have trouble figuring this part out on their own. This is where a mental health professional can be helpful.

3. Ask for help. Tell someone that you want help dealing with your troubles and the cutting. If the person you ask doesn't help you get the assistance you need, ask someone else. Sometimes adults try to downplay the problems teens have or think they're just a phase. If you get the feeling this is happening to you, find another adult (such as a school counselor or nurse) who can make your case for you.

4. Work on it. Most people with deep emotional pain or distress need to work with a counselor or mental health professional to sort through strong feelings, heal past hurts, and to learn better ways to cope with life's stresses. One way to find a therapist or counselor is to ask at your doctor's office, at school, or at a mental health clinic in your community.

Although cutting can be a difficult pattern to break, it is possible. Getting professional help to overcome the problem doesn't mean that a person is weak or crazy. Therapists and counselors are trained to help people discover inner strengths that help them heal. These inner strengths can then be used to cope with life's other problems in a healthy way.

So your best bet to help your friend who's "cutting " herself: is to try to find out why she's cutting herself. Next, try to elicit the help of her parents. Bring this to their attention so they could get some professional help. Try to show her this answer. Maybe, she'll realize that you really care and that cutting is not the right coping mechanism to deal with any problems.;however deep-seated they maybe.

I hope I 've helped you deal with this popular problem among teens. with this exhaustive and detailed answer. Acknowledging the fact that you do have this problem and willing to find the right
solution is heading towards the right direction. But until you face your "demons" that drive you to self -injury; you're not rid of this "habit."