Cutting
CUTTING
The most disturbing thing i have been told recently is just how many of my good friends cuts themselves..
It can be hard to understand, but people who cut themselves sometimes do it because it actually makes them feel better. They are overflowing with emotions - like sadness, depression, or anger - that they have trouble expressing.
You can probably recall a time when you've experienced intense emotions. Maybe a grandparent or a pet that you loved died, or maybe you had a bad argument with a friend. You may remember how your whole body felt different. Your body may have felt tense, as if it were getting ready for action. Maybe you relieved that tension by crying about your loss or by shouting angrily at your friend. These physical actions probably helped you to release the tightness in your body and let it return to a more relaxed state.
People who cut themselves are often full of intense emotional pain, but they have difficulty relieving the tension this causes in the usual ways. They may think that they have to be strong, and so they may not allow themselves to cry. They may have been taught as children that expressing emotions is wrong. But the tension inside their bodies and their minds becomes almost unbearable, and they find that cutting themselves somehow relieves that tension. It's as if the physical pain releases the emotional pain they've been feeling. It actually calms them, at least for a short time. It helps them feel as if they are in control of their situation and their moods.
Some people who have trouble coping with strong emotions feel numb or as if what's happening to them isn't real. Some people say that they feel like they're watching themselves in a TV show or movie. When this feeling of numbness and unreality gets too strong, they may cut themselves as a way of "waking up" from this state. Cutting may make them feel alive and grounded in reality.
Cutting isn't the only form of self-injury. People hurt themselves in other ways like burning themselves, hitting themselves with objects or their fists until they bruise themselves or break their bones, or picking at scabs and preventing sores on their bodies from healing. Cutting and other self-injurious behavior isn't confined to a particular group, either - self-injurers can be male or female, any race, and any age (although most are in their teens, 20s, and 30s and more girls than guys injure themselves).
No one knows for sure why some people injure themselves. Research suggests that it could be a combination of several factors. Family background may play a role; people who self-abuse may have been discouraged from expressing their feelings as children. A history of physical and sexual abuse may also be associated with self-abuse.
Self-abusers don't usually intend to hurt themselves permanently. (In fact, many would say that cutting helps them relieve the depression that might lead to suicide.) But many theorists believe cutting is an addictive behavior and that self-injurers will need to make more and deeper cuts as time goes on to relieve the pain they're feeling. This can lead to serious medical complications.
I always try and tell people to share their problems, a friend, somebody special....and i guess im that special person on this occassion...
just support dont condemn people, who you know do this...
and if they do, tell them you care, tell them that every day
and maybe you can help them out
- The Fox