why do ppl cut themselves...?

Question

i dont get it i kno their lives are hard...y would they want MORE pain??? i siply think its HORRIBLE..and if u do it get some help...explain it to me ppl!

Answer 1

There are multiple reasons why people self-mutilate and each case needs to be explored individually. The most common reason is that it occurs in order to induce a dissociative state and assists people who have been traumatized with achieving a state of emotional numbness and you hear it described as soothing for them. The physiological basis for it stems from the release of endorphins-the brain's natural painkillers-which function much like opiates and dull the experience of emotional pain. Other reasons include the opposite rationale-people who feel numb emotionally and who have shut down will self-mutilate in order to feel something and remember they are alive. Some people, particularly those who are in abusive situations, injure themselves as a way to exert control over when and how the pain is experienced. Others do it for self-punishment and feel relief from guilt or shame and see the letting of blood as a way to purge themselves of guilt. It may be a way of re-enacting and attempting to master early traumatic experiences This often happens during a dissociative state where people are recalling experiences which were traumatizing and they feel a need to punish/purge themselves for what they often mistakenly believe they have done wrong. There are also folks who do it as a way to cope with unrelenting chronic physical pain from other sources as it creates an alternative pain that distracts them from the chronic pain (think of the principle behind how a TENS unit works). In more rare instances it can be a response to psychotic states where folks are responding to command hallucinations or believe they are purging themselves from some evil inside them. There are other less common reasons, depending on the form of self-mutilation (eye enucleation, castration, etc.) that tend to be symbolic in nature. But most commonly it is done in response to increased feelings of tension with which the individual cannot cope and it becomes a way for them to dissociate their emotional pain and achieve an emotional numbing. The goal of treatment is to fully understand the reasons that sustain the behavior and in the latter case (the most common) to help people develop affect tolerance and the ability to cope with and soothe their emotional pain in healthier ways.

Answer 2

No. Its not always because they are emo. That is a rude thing to say. That is like making fun of people for having cancer. Often they are clincly depressed and need to find a way to escape. There are many different reasons for it tho.

1. They want attention. This is why many ppl label them as emo. My mom always said bad attention is better than no attention.
2. They are sick like i said
3. they need anyway to escape and it is the best way to focus on things other than their emotional pain.
4. They want to punish themselves.
5. They are so numb they need to feel something, anything.
6. there are more but those are the main

Even after this you might still not understand it. It is really complex. The best thing to do if you know someone who hurts themselves is to help them. Either tell someone who call help (a parent or a teacher) or talk to them and be there for them. I understand if you dont tell bc they ask you not to, but if you think they will kill themseves then TELL SOMEONE IMMEDIATLY!!!!

Answer 3

I know that some people do it because it gets their mind off of the emotional/inner pain and some people do it for the attention. The people that usually cut because of emotional pain just feel that putting the pain somewhere else will help get rid of what they are feeling for awhile. It is different for each individual because some people might have horrible homelives and/or suffer from severe depression and it might not make sense to you but it is their way to cope. I suffer from depression and my way out is through daydreaming and reading, but for others cutting becomes addictive and a sort of temporary cure. It doesn't mean that they want to kill themselves.

Answer 4

There's lots of reasons why. The one that makes the most sense to me is that people who cut themselves want to get their pain out of their body. Also, it releases some of the same chemicals in the brain as some very addicting drugs, like cocaine.
It's ok to think it's horrible and to encourage people who do cut to get help. Also, if you know anyone who cuts, it might be a good idea to get them involved in things that you do to express your emotions.

Answer 5

a lot of times people cut them selfs as a way of releasing i had a friend who did it and she said it was one of the best ways to vent and relieve stress and pressure. she said it made her feel so much better and she didnt have a hard life she was just a normal girl living in the world that had stress and anger from time to time like regular people. i did try it once and to me it really did help a little i was experimenting and it did get rid of all the stress but i wouldnt do it again b/c while it doesnt really hurt while you do it its the healing the 3 or 4 days later that hurts

Answer 6

I knew this girl years ago, she was completely normal in middle school. Everything changed once we were in high school. She totally changed her demeanor. She started wearing black on a daily basis. Her newfound lingo reminded me of Daria from MTV.

Her entire conversation was always an attempt to convince anyone that would listen that she was different, and her friends were hippies. She had a few selected friends that emulated one another. All of which seemed to thrive on “being different”.

In my summation I felt as if they were the total opposite of non-conformist. They dressed like one another; talked as if they were stoned, and did everything they could to prove they were way cool. Most of them were kids that did not have a hard life, yet they hated their parents. They never had a rough life, so through their dark figured persona it allowed them to fit in what they considered a unique stance in society.

I saw the girl a couple of years after high school in a hospital waiting room. A friend of mine was having a baby, and she was there for lord knows what. We were the only people in the waiting room. She had on a pair of cut off jean shorts, a White Zombie shirt, and what appeared to be a pair of thermal underwear that had self-made rips and tears in them. Black lipstick, black eye shadow, combat boots, piercing everywhere, looking as if she had accomplished the hierarchy of weirdness she so aspired to reach.

I said hello, and she recognized me. She replied with a “hey man”. Still her same fake accented voice as if her nose was stopped up. She proceeded to tell me about all her weird travels since high school. Raves, acid trips, and 10,000 men and women later here she was in the waiting room of a hospital. She had a red armband on her wrist, and I noticed several scars on both arms. She told me she was on constant suicide watch, hence the band. The scars were her previous attempts at slitting her wrists.

All the while I am thinking, why not run in front of a bus? But, then again that would not be “cool man”. I told her to take care as I saw what I assumed was a mental hospital employee escorting her back to where she was staying. If someone really, and I mean REALLY wanted to commit suicide. They would not waste time slitting their wrist. In my opinion it is a cry for help. Succeeding is too difficult a concept for these people. When a person cuts themselves it is similar to an 8 year old jumping up and down saying look what I can do. It is a silent scream saying LOOK AT ME! They are begging people to ask them why. Somewhere along the line they misunderstood how to communicate. Likely someone that they looked up to as a role model be it a parent, sibling, friend, etc. was someone that they wanted to emulate, but due to low self-esteem, they felt that goal was insurmountable. Cutting themselves for attention is much easier than working hard for an accomplishment. In some screwed up way, that girl in the waiting room was almost boastful of her position. Leading me to believe she thrives on her actions.

They cut themselves to tell the world, I AM HERE! I DON’T CARE! They either wake up one day and try to fix their life they have tripped and missed, or they die bums. In their exploits of trying to be unique, all they need to do is look around at their peers to realize they are just following suit. In reality they are the antonym of unique.

Answer 7

People often cut themselves out of dissappointment, or anger at themselves. Some people feel like they deserve to be hurt, or that the only thing they have control of is there body.

There could be various reasons, and some people do it out of boredom, for attention, or for an adrenaline rush.

Answer 8

Honestly and in all truth, it feels good when u have nothing else. I do not know why, but there is a certain sense of relief when it is all done. I do not recommend it because it is very/extremely addictive. U kinda get high and wher do u go from there?

Answer 9

it is a release of emotion. when you see the blood it's a physical release of that emotion. it has nothing to do with suicide. it's actually not painful when you do it. i think it is because of the endorphins. most of the time it has something to do with past trauma (sexual abuse usually) and control or low self-esteem. if you cut where people can see it it may be a cry for help.

Answer 10

Cutting is a way of crying out for help. When you are cutting you don't feel the pain you feel a sense of release. Help is out there if you seek it.