why do people cut themselves?

Question

on tv you hear about teenagers cutting themselves. why do they do it?

Answer 1

it's a control issue. They feel the no longer have control over their lives and cutting themselves without serious injury is a way of controling themselves.

Answer 2

Well, I cut myself. I'm not a teenager anymore, but I was when I started cutting. I'm not sure that I can explain exactly why I cut because I'm not always sure I know why I do it, and it's not always for the same reason, but I'll try... A lot of the time when I cut myself it's because of something silly that I said or did that I was embarased about, something that I'm sure no one else who was there even remembers, but I'll get so angry at myself that the only way to let it go is to hurt myself. It's kind of like a punishment that then once I've done that I don't have to think about whatever it was anymore. Of course, whatever was bothering me always ends up coming back, but it does work for a while.

Other times it was basically for attention, even though no one ever saw the cuts. That was mainly when I was younger. When I'd cut myself, I'd want so much for someone to see it, and I don't even know exactly what I wanted them to do, I just wanted someone, some adult in my life, to notice that something was wrong. That definitely never worked, though, because the next day I'd wake up and put on a long sleeve shirt to make sure that no one could see the cuts.

That doesn't even come close to explaining why I do it, but those are the only two partial reasons that I could figure out how to say.

There are lots of other reasons that people cut themselves that are differnet than why I do it. Some people do it to feel something, because they're so numb from past traumas. Other people do it to distract themselves from the emotional pain the feel, just like if you stub your toe and the slam your finger in the door you forget that your toe hurts. So people (particularly survivors of sexual abuse) do it to make their bodies less attractive to potential predators. For other people it's about control - they feel like they have no control over their lives, and cutting gives them control over their body, and their experience of physical pain. It can also be a way of proving to themself that they're strong enough to do it. Sometimes it is to get attention, particularly among kids who may not be getting much attention at home (maybe because their parents are going through a divorce, a sibling is seriously ill, or their primary caregiver is abusing drugs or alcohol). There are some number of people who cut themselves just to fit in with the "emo" crowd, but these people definitely represent the minority of cutters. The vast majority of the time, there's something behind it other than that the person thinks it's just a cool or fun thing to do.

Answer 3

i am now a very boringly normal and happy 31 year old but spent most of my teenage years self harming with blades and cigarette burns. for me there were a few reasons for it. i was desperately unhappy and felt very different from my peers ( i now know that this was because i am gay). cutting myself was a way of showing the people around me how unhappy i was how self loathing i was and a way of asking for help. when i cut myself it was like opening the valve on a pressure cooker or like someone taking a hit of a drug. i would get myself totally worked up something and cutting myself would instantly release the pressure and make me relax. i would often fall asleep afterwards. i suppose the best way to describe it is that it turns the emotional pain into physical pain which i found so much easier to cope with. it was also a control thing as if everything in my life was out of control and this was the only thing a had control over, i guess a bit like anorexia. thankfully i haven't self harmed for years and my scars now disgust me but having the experience has made me a more understanding person especially in my job as a nurse

Answer 4

I actually believe that they think the blood running out of there body is releasing the pain that they hold. I don't think it is all about attention because if it was then they would be more public about it. I mean, most cutters (as they are called) hide the fact that they do cut themselves. That does not make it OK by any means and I also believe that these people need some serious psychiatric help.

Answer 5

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

Answer 6

"emo" people don't cut themselves. Emo is just a style and a music genre. It's nothing else. I have many emo friends and they don't cut themselves and I used to be emo. Now, if you're thinking about people who really cut themselves, there are many reason why they are cutting themselves. Rape, abuse, bullied, pressure, etc. People cut themselves feel depressed and put down on. They don't feel like they deserve to live and to have a crap life so they cut themselves hoping they would die.

Answer 7

There are many different reasons why people cut themselves. Some people feel so numb on the inside that they cut to feel alive. Some cut to see their own blood (related to the previous sentence). Some do it to relieve the stress and pain that they feel in their lives. Then there are those few who do it for attention.

Answer 8

From an Ex-cutter.

I did not do it for attention, in fact I would cover it up, it was embarrassing, I didn't want everyone to know.

I did it when I felt stressed out.
When something horrible was going on it my life (such as my mom having cancer).

I sometimes have trouble expressing myself, due to some anti-social problems I have.

I wanted to break something or scream, but if I did that, then I would have to deal with others and my emotions.
I didn't want to empose on them, or be weak in front of my mom (when I did it for the cancer reason). I didn't like people to see when I felt helpless. I didn't want to hear them tell me everything was going to be ok.

When I cut, my mind went away from the problem,
and my body's shock, took away from whatever was going on.

I felt a release of all my anger, fears, sadness.
And then shame and guilt for doing it.

One day I decided to stop, and it took a lot of time
to completely stop.

I still want to sometimes, but I don't.
I usually write, cook, sometimes even talk to someone about how I'm feeling, or take something apart nowadays
I channel my emotions.

Answer 9

if you ask them you get a vatiety of answers. They are so numb the pain is better then feeling nothing. The pain inside is so intense, they cut to let it out. Most people who cut themselves are trauma survivers and the atrocities done to them are not easily understood by those who haven't been there. It is possible that cutting is telling the "health professional" to shut up and listen.

It is tragic and very sad.

Answer 10

Every person that I have ever heard of cutting themselves didn't have much of a reason. My question is this, What's the reason for cutting yourself after your incrediblely long teenage life? There isn't. I think a lot of people that cut themselves do out of boredom or a lack of intelligence. There isn't much of a point to it, is there? I heard of a man who literally lost his face. A virus in the bread he was eating built up over the years and ate away at his facial tissues. And he didn't commit suicide or cut himself. THose who are depressed usually get meds.

Answer 11

theres many reasons
as an ex-cutter myself
sometimes stress just gets to you and you cant find another way to let it out
at the moment it seems perfectly fine
then you feel worse about doing it
and it can become a cycle

ive also know people that did it for attention
people who arent happy with themselfs or how they are/look also look at it as a way of correcting or punishing themselves

self mutilation is a very complicated thing