What's so bad about cutting?

Question

I've read many questions involving someone cutting themselves and with each came a million comments explaining how you need to stop, and how you need to talk to soem peopel about it. (Even on taking depression pills, and stuff like that.)

I don't cut myself, but I find nothing wrong with it; can soemone explain to me why it's SOOO bad? (Besides the fact that it might cause an infection, but that's only if your using a bad blade, or whatever.)

Answer 1

I've cut myself for 8 years. And started up again a few years ago on the bottom of my feet for several months. This is an unhealthy release of emotions. Cutting leaves scars, many times the scars are large and deep, depending on how deep one cuts. And sometimes people become 'high' on the pain of cutting and slice too deep and do it on their wrists and bleed to death. An accidental suicide. No good. Infections happen often. It's not like a little redness. It can be a deep infection that affects the muscle as well. Some people cut just a little to see a little red line and feel a little better. Others cut several deep lines until their entire arm or legs or stomach is covered in blood. And the one's that start with little cuts often end up doing the deep cuts.

So this is NOT good. Cutting is a form of self release of anger, hate, sadness. This is an unhealthy way to release your emotions. I've learned to release my emotions in healthy and safe ways. My emotions are my emotions and I have the right to feel them and express them. Just not in a way that harms me and others. I used a red marker at first and drew on my thighs instead of cutting. But that only lastest 3 weeks. It was harder to wash off the marker than it was the blood. So I went to drawing in a journal with colored pencils. Lines, scribbles, shapes, dark, light to express my feelings and thoughts. I would cut up old newspapers or magazines with a blade or scissors or just tear them with my hands. I liked doing this. I even took a red marker and drew lines on a stuffed bear once when I was really pissed when I was 19. It felt like I was stabbing the bear. I cried for an hour and slept with the bear that night. I kept that bear for 3 years. Every time I got pissed over little times I would take it out of my closet and hold it and look at all the redness. And talk to it and apologize to it and I felt better.

Anyways, there are tons of ways to release your feelings in healthy and safe ways. Cutting isn't good. I have scars, I have even stabbed my leg with a steak fork with two prongs that were two inches long. Went all the way to my bone. I was a very disturbed teen and likes to destroy things in the house and destroyed my body. So, hon, take it from me and all the other millions of guys and girls that have experience of cutting ourselves, when we highly suggest to others NOT to cut themselves, we mean it and we know why!! It is sooooo bad for you.

Peace!

Answer 2

Honestly, I agree with you (partially). The attention that cutters get should be also given to those who get started on addictions that can ultimatly lead to death, such as smoking, drinking, ect...
Cutting is not socially acceptiable, that is one big reason why it is such a big deal. People who do not do it find it scary and repulsive, because they can not understand why someone would go against the most basic of psycological rules (that we avoid things that cause ourselves pain).

On the otherhand, I AM a cutter (and hitter, burner, ect...) and I know the dark side. It is a dangerous addiction. I have had a friend die, not from being suicidal, but because she cut too deep, and did not go to the doctor. I went to the ER for a cut (that was no where near an artery, not bleeding, but it was deep) and was treated horribly, and commited as if I was suicidal. A simple "infection" if left untreated can quickly turn into something more serious, like gangrene. And most cutters are driven by something more dire, they are NOT suicidal, but cutting, or self-injury, is not the problem, it is the symptom. Possibly of abuse, possibly of neglect, always of no altrenate coping skills.
What happens when something worse happens in thier life? Smokers smoke more, incresingly, Alchoholics drink more, Cutters cut deeper, lose more blood.

That being said I am a cutter and have tried to stop for years, and will never be "recovered", but will always be "recovering".

Answer 3

First off - you can get a serious infection from cutting.

One of my sons was a chronic self-mutilator, and he once got an infection that was so bad he had to be hospitalized and receive antibiotics intraveneously. If this was not done he likely would have died.

Secondly - you can have serious scarring.

This may not seem like a big deal now, but you could wind up not getting the job you want, not getting into the school you want, being inappropriately judged, etc. if you have scars. Its difficult to hide these unless you are cutting in "non-traditional" areas. This is especially true if you mutilate in words and designs so that you can't just tell folks you had an accident or something.

Third - You can wind up going to far.

You may only plan to cut superfically and either get carried away or accidentally go too far. You could die.

Fourth - Cutting is an unhealthy way of coping.

Its a sign that we aren't dealing appropriately with our thoughts, feelings and experiences. Not dealing with these things appropriately breeds stress and stress breeds disease and other instability.

I hope that answers the question.

Answer 4

It is bad. All the anger, frustration, stress, etc. you deal with all day builds up and you turn it inward to yourself-thus cutting. I used to cut because on a test at school I did not get 100, I only got 97 and I knew I could do better than that. It is not just cutting thats involved its the reasoning behind the cutting. Also another thing, cutting involves risk taking. At first you cut plain, out-of-sight areas, then you take more risks and cut yourself in a little more risky area etc. That can also evolve into something serious. Or the person decides to cut deeply or not so deeply depending on their take on the infraction. Generally, the cuts become scars-medals of battles with yourself. What you are telling yourself is you are not good enough to survive in this world.

Answer 5

If you dont do it (ironically) then it is really hard to understand. It is so easy to lose control of it and it happens very fast. There is the risk of infection but there you can also really hurt yourself. You can cut too deep really easily without even realizing it. If you cut too deep in the wrong place then you could die. Usually cutting means there is something else going on that is making the person want to cut. If they dont have cutting then they will find something else. The cutting will keep getting worse the longer it goes. There will come a time when it isn't enough and other things will come into the mix such as eating disorders and other ways of hurting oneself.

Answer 6

Cutting is a maladaptive coping mechanism. It is addictive, and like when people are addicted to drugs or alcohol, the severity and frequency of occurances increases over time. Eventually, if it is bad enough, cutting, like drugs or alcohol, can start interfering with relationships, jobs, or even your health. The difference is that most people don't just cut for fun. While some people use drugs and alcohol for recreation, there are very few people who use cutting for the same purpose. Therefore, cutting is generally only used as a coping mechanism and is usually only addictive and unhealthy.

Answer 7

Cutting is a symptom of deep mental issues, and if left unchecked could get worse and worse until the person does the ultimate "cut" and kills themselves or something. It's not the cutting that is necessarily what needs help, but the mental issues that cause a person to cut.

Answer 8

Well theres no right way of cutting yourself but there is a wrong way. You can cut to deep or in the wrong direction and cut a vane or circulation or something. And it leaves scars that just remind you of the pain you made yourself go through instead of it making you feel any better.

Answer 9

The cutting itself may lead to a shallow cut but the concern arises from the psychological problems. People cut because they are basically self inflicting pain on themselves or punishing themselves. I am quite shocked that you see nothing wrong with it. In addition, cutting can often lead to much more serious problems or more drastic actions.

Answer 10

Cutting is a form of trying to make pain come out that they can't explain or don't want to know. The cutting to people like this relieves them, making whatever is bothering them, seem like it comes out of them, but, it's not, it's just scarring themselves up. People who cut have a mental condition and need to seek help immediately because besides they arn't getting the help they need mentally to figure out what the source of the mental problem or mental block they have, plus one day they might cut themselves to the point they bleed to death. Plus who wants to have scars all over if you can help it. it's not just getting infection, this is a mental disorder and needs medical help immediately...they need to find out what is bringing this on, what pain mentally they are suffering, even if they don't know, they need to get it out, and cutting to people like this gives them a little relief, kinda high that they feel better, but, arn't...it's a horrible disease...don't take it so lightly.