Cutting Question?

Question

I don't cut, but I consider it. A lot of bad stuff has been hapinging in my life. I have heard from a close friend who cuts that it hrts. But that it also relives deep mental pain. It makes you feel better. Like your bleeding out pain.

What and angsty topic. Help? By the way don't judge me.

Answer 1

First off, please don't start cutting, it really isn't worth it. I know how you are feeling right now, how much pain you are in and wanting anything to ease it, but cutting will not help in the long run. I personally am a cutter and have been for the last 3 years. I'm not one of the "worst" ones (I don't have to cut as much as some others do), but even then it is still hell. You really don't want to get yourself involved in it. It's like drugs, you feel good a little while afterwards, but all you are doing is hiding your pain and adding more to it for you to have to deal with. In this case, it would be the scars, the shame of cutting (though there is nothing to be ashamed of, since it's a persons way of coping), hiding the scars, wanting to tell someone but being scared out of your mind to tell someone, getting addidicted to it and having to hurt yourself more and more, not being able to deal with things in a healthy way, possibly hurting yourself to much and having to go to the hospital, to name a few. Your friend says that it relieves deep mental pain, that is true in a way, it only relieves the pain for a short while afterwards, and then it stops and you are left with the cuts and a whole mess (literally and emotionally). It's a short lived release, which to you might sound like heaven, getting a break from the pain, but in reality it causes so much more pain that it releaves, for your family and friends and especially for you.

Anyways (time for a bio lesson), the reason it causes a release is because when you body is hurt it sends pain signals to your brain and your body releases endorphines, these are what give you a felling of well being after hurting yourself. I'm just telling you this so that you understand why some ppl can get easily addicted to self harming.

It really isn't worth it, and it's best to avoid it all together now while you are not addicted to it and haven't tasted it, you know? It also sounds like your friend needs help, and that he/she may be in denial and is most likely in extreme pain. I would suggest that you both get some help, you can tell your parents or a counsellor or a teacher or whatever, they should be very compassionate and willing to help, albeit at first your parents may be mad and scared and such but they will likely calm down and help you. So, I would suggest you tell someone, that's personally one of the things that makes me feel so low is that I can't really tell any one, so you should tell someone, immediatly. You should try to get your friend to tell someone, if he/she refuses then you should tell someone for them, they may be very upset for a while but it's better that they are safe and mad at you, and most of the time people end up coming back around and thankful for what the other person has done for them.

Here is a link you should check out http://www.recoveryourlife.com/Self_Harm_Recovery/9033.aspx
it's a letter thing that is designed to give to your parents, so that you can get everything out at once without interruption and so that you don't forget anything you need to say, etc... I wouldn't suggest using this exact letter though, as it is a letter to a parent about si'ing, and you aren't currently si (btw, that's self injuring, i.e. cutting), but you can use it as a frame to write your own letter, explaing to your parents about your pain, about your thoughts of si'ing, why you feel how you do, etc... If you give it them before you go to school or something it will give you and your parent(s) time to think about it and to cool down before you talk about it. I would suggest you give that a try. Also, there is a site you might find helpful, www.recoveryourlife.com it is a site that contains a forum and a chat room, and it's members mainly consist of those who si, have stopped and don't want to continue, those who have stopped and are trying to help others, and others who are working with ED issues (eating disorders, but that doensn't pertain to you as far as I know). You might want to give it a look, while you have hurt yourself it might give you an outlook of what it will be like if you start, and there are some sections to those who are considering si'ing I believe, and stuff like that. It's a pretty tight site and I would suggest you check it out, and also research some on cutting, that way you will have a better idea of what you are considering. I'm not trying to judge you or nothing, just trying to give you the tools you need so that you won't get yourself into this horrible habit.

I have to go now, but if you ever wish to talk you can email me or you can find me on YIM at [e-mail], AIM @ [e-mail], and MSN at [e-mail] and [e-mail]. feel free to call me up if you want to vent or chat or whatever. Whatever happens I wish the best of luck for you and your friend.
-Sarah

Answer 2

Please don't cut, it's really not going to do anything good for you. It gives you the illusion of relieving mental pain but it's not going to make your problems go away. I have had many problems in my life and might even suffer from depression, and i've even considered suicide, but i never cut myself. It's really won't do anything but cause you physical pain and leave ugly scars. Some even say it is just a way to call attention to yourself. I think if you're really considering this you should speak so someone whether its a counselor or a therapist. Speaking to them does not make you crazy, and it will help! These people can help you cope with what you're going through. There are also other things to relieve you of your pain like or picking up a hobby like a sport or joining a club. Cutting is not the answer!

Answer 3

Sweetie, please don't start cutting. I cut, and it's not something I would wish on anyone. It doesn't work really. It leaves scars. It's addictive. And it also freaks people out when you least want it to.

I started cutting three years ago, and I still remember exactly what I felt before I cut the first time. Not just immediately before, but weeks, even months before, when I wanted to hurt myself but didn't. Or I couple of times when I tried to and failed. And you know what? I still feel exactly the same overwhelming frustration and anger that I felt back then. Cutting didn't fix a damn thing. The only difference is that now when I feel it I cut myself, and it goes away for a minute, and then I regret it for weeks until the cuts finally heal and I'd be able to wear short sleeves again if I hadn't done it dozens more times since then. There have even been times when I couldn't cut how I wanted to because there was no more space on my arm where I could cut without running into another cut that hadn't healed yet.

When you cut, you do forget about whatever was going on for like two minutes. Its a similar effect to how if you stub your toe, and then pinch your finger in the door, you forget that you toe hurts. But it doesn't last long. Whatever was bothering you before you cut is still there when the cut stops hurting enough to distract you. But since it worked for that two minutes, it becomes addictive. You got instant relief from it, and the reward pathways in your brain can't tell the difference between relief that lasts two minutes and relief that lasts indefinitely. So you want to do it again, and again, and again. Never mind that it never actually accomplishes anything, the primative reward pathways in your brain think it works, and that's enough to create an addiction. Kind of like how drugs will make you feel great for a little while, and then you'll feel like total crap when you're coming off them, but the neurological pathways involved in addiction can't connect the total crap part to the drugs, they can only connect the immediate result of feeling good.

And then eventually you'll want to stop cutting. So now you're left with all the problems you had to start with, plus years of scars and an addiction. That's definitely not an improvement over where you were before. In fact, the scars and the addiction make it a distinct step down from where you started. And people sometimes struggle for YEARS to stop cutting.

What's more, by cutting to deal with whatever is going on for you, you're masking the real issue. So the only time you're cutting and not dealing with the original problem, that problem is getting worse and worse, and harder to deal with.

Can you talk to anyone about what's bothering you? Your parents, a school counselor, a close friend? Anyone? You need to find a way to deal with whatever is bothering you before it gets to the point where you hurt yourself. You're welcome to email me either through Answers or at [e-mail] if you want to talk.

Answer 4

I used to do that when I was teenager, usually I cut myself with razor blades. I felt a little bit better when I did it. Endorphins are brain chemicals that relieve your pain when you have a injury, I think people cut themselves because they get a rush from the endorphins that are released because of the pain from cutting. It makes you feel better but only for a short while. I wouldn't recommend it--it would be better if you told a doctor how you feel. Medication and counseling work a lot better than cutting, and besides, you might get a serious infection. I know a guy who used to get a lot of little cuts on his arms at his job. He didn't cut himself on purpose, but it pretty much the same thing. He didn't use band aids or put antiseptic on it, and it led to an infection which eventually damaged his heart. If that happened to him, the same thing could happened to cutters. I used to work at a mental hospital and we had one patient who cut herself so many times she had scars all over her body--she was the most serious cutter I've ever seen.

Answer 5

i used to cut myself..and pleasseee don't.
because once you start to..it is actually an addiction
i cut myself for years and i guess i started feeling better and stopped for a while..now i can't make myself do it but it is usually not that easy
i have a lot of scars on my arms and wrists and it is hard to explain that to people & in the summer you need to wear short sleeves. i just found that it made me so self-conscious..and no matter how many times you do it..you are never satisfied because it is only temporary relief and then a few moments after you just feel embarrased and feel worse then you did to begin with

years later the scars have faded but i can still see them and they are a bad reminder of the past but they will always be there.

i know it is hard to learn from someone else's mistakes but it may seem to help, but in the long run it will make things much worse because it is something else to deal with

you should see a therapist..i do and it really helps
good luck
i know that if you do..you will regret it

Answer 6

i'd never judge you because i was there myself, other people dont understand that people who cut or want to are really not f*cked up people that are crazy and suicidal. it definitely is a good release but then there is all that worry that someone will find out. I used to cut and only 2 people ever found out but it was a bad secret. Now I am in an environment where i have to wear short sleeves a lot and that keeps me from cutting now becuse I dont want people to see and ask what happened; of COURSE they know what happened, they'd think i'm a psycho. i'd say dont do it, its an easy addiction in a way, and there are much healthier ways. exercise really helps me, if you get out there and sprint or work out hard, you burn yourself out and then you're less stressed and the urge to cut is not there so strongly.

Answer 7

im telling you now...believe me i am bipolar, depressed, and lonely and i dont even cut. I don't mean to call your friend a liar but all cutting does is try and draw attention and sympathy to ones self. How is making yourself bleed and putting scars on your arms going to help you? If you have deep mental pains and feel you 'have to' cut just go see a therapist believe me it helps.

Answer 8

Hi Lissy,
Cutting behavior is compulsive and is commonly a way for people to release their negative feelings; like anger, sadness, insecurity etc.This is an unhealthy way to express your feelings. Instead of cutting, talking it out with a friend or talking to a trusted therapist is the way to go. Sometimes there are other things going on, such as depression or anxiety, that cause people to cut. These issues need to be addressed so that they don't hurt themselves anymore.
The cutting itself is extremely dangerous.Those who cut themselves can underestimate the depth of their cut. I knew someone who cut her wrist very deeply and almost bled to death. She later reported that she didn't mean to cut so deep.
If you are thinking about cutting yourself or have cut yourself, seek support. Talk to your doctor or a trusted adult. This is something that you shouldn't have to worry about alone.
read up on it here: http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/cutting.html
or call a Teen Cutting hotline: [phone]

Answer 9

well, that depends on what you cut with. a razor blade is going to hurt if you press down a lot, but scissors aren't that bad. cutting does sort of relieve mental pain, but there are other things that you could do as well, like sports.

Answer 10

I HAVE HEARD, THAT BY CUTTING YOURSELF, IT RELEASES ENDORPHINS IN YOUR BRAIN,SO IT MAY SEEM TO HELP. EVEN IF THIS IS TRUE, YOU CANT JUST START CARVING AWAY WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN. STUFF HAPPENS TO EVERYONE, NOT JUST YOU. WHAT EVER IS GOING WRONG IN YOUR LIFE, I ASSURE YOU,IT WILL GET BETTER. IF I CUT MYSELF FOR EVERY "BAD THING" THAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME..TALKING ABOUT SCAR TISSUE.... TALKING TO YOUR FRIENDS AND SPENDING TIME WITH LOVED ONES MAY HELP YOU THRU THIS. HEY, MAKE NEW FRIENDS AS WELL!!