Comments on: Cutting: Self-Injury Facts & Statistics

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:24:03 +0000

Hello,
Congratulations on throwing out/giving away your knives and razors, and for posting this! I think thats the first step to stopping! Now. the next step is telling somoene. The most likely reason your Dad hasnt replied to your letter is because he is worried for you, and doesnt know how to approach the situation. However, a proffensial physcologist or counsellor, even your local doctor, will help you stop feeling the urge to cut!

The longest I’ve gone without cutting is one month and five days. At first this was extremely hard, because over time I had relied on pain to stop me hurting. I used the http://au.reachout.com/ (I’m from australia) website, and to substitute cutting I found that holding ice against my thigh for about 5 minutes would burn a red mark which I liked, but then it would fade overnight so I could wear a bikini to the beach the next day. Until today I’ve had this constant urge to cut myself, even in classes i cant hold scissors because I’m scared I will take them to the toilets..
But, as well as ice i’ve realised that if I put a lackey band on my wrist and flick it every time i feel an urge to cut, my urges slowly went away.. to near nothing!
I’ve decided to tell my year co-ordinator and my school counsellor(whom I’ve seen a few times before, but never mentioned self harming.) and I think that telling ANYONE will help you, so try telling a trusted friend that you want to stop but you need their help. Or. you could use online chat websites to talk anonymously to people.

Hope this ESSAY has helped haha xo

By: TKM

TKM — Sat, 28 May 2011 01:01:23 +0000

You said you’ve been cutting for 10 years and you’re 14. My daughter is 4 years old and has been scratching herself to bleed, pulling her scabs, pulling her hair and pinching her nipples. She also has an unhealthy eating problem. She does feel bad when she hurts herself, but she likes it. We are getting her help now, but there isn’t much info out there on children this young. Can you give me some insight?

PS – My daughter was adopted internationally at 11 months old. In the last year she has started to display these issues..today is the first day that she showed me she scratched herself to bleed. I am devastated..

By: someone who cares

someone who cares — Wed, 25 May 2011 14:47:38 +0000

dont worry, one day you’ll be able to make that decision by yourself. i know, ive been there

By: Tyla

Tyla — Sat, 07 May 2011 12:40:16 +0000

Ayla

thanx for your help i told her she was sad and crying but it turns out that she cuts too

By: Ay

Ay — Thu, 05 May 2011 03:30:45 +0000

By the way, I no longer indulge in drugs and alcohol.

By: Ay

Ay — Thu, 05 May 2011 03:29:35 +0000

My name is Ay and I’ve been cutting for about seven years. I’m Sixteen [almost Seventeen] years old.

I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t know what to do anymore. I honestly don’t. I’m not suicidal [anymore. I've survived 10 attempts. I honestly shouldn't be alive.]. I don’t want to die. I enjoy life too much and want to see the future. However, my cutting has to stop. I know it does and I’m aware of this. But I can’t stop. I honestly can’t. I’ve been doing it for so long. I don’t know how to deal with stress and my emotions properly. I don’t know how to relieve that pressure. I think you may know what I’m refering to.
I’m addicted.
I’ve smoked pot. I’ve indulged in Alcohol. I’ve smoked ciggarrets. All of these actions enough times where I SHOULD have been dependent on them. I never was. It’s the cutting. That release afterwards.

I’ve thrown out my knives and my razors. I’ve given them to people I trust. Yet, I always come back to it. In a reach for help, I wrote my Dad a letter about it. It’s been four months. He acts like I never said a thing. My friends… I feel like they’ve given up on me. I don’t trust the school. I don’t have the money to hire a counselor.

I don’t know if any of this makes sense, but in short, I’m a self injurer and I don’t know how to help myself. I’ve tried everything from hot wax to a rubber band. It doesn’t help. I just don’t know what to do.
This is me reaching out for help. I don’t know what to do.

By: Ayla

Ayla — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 20:37:12 +0000

Tyla,

It’s hard to tell your best friend. I know. But trust me when I say those you mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. I told my best friend and she was the most loving person about it. If she freaks out on you it is because she doesn’t understand why you do it. You are going to have to tell her why. Sadly sometimes you have to be the guinea pig in order to educate someone the first time. If she truly loves you and wants to help you she will be supportive. I was so scared to tell my best friend I was in tears before I even told her. She will understand, but you have to take the initiative and assure her. It is going to be just as scary for her to know that her best friend hurts herself. Tell her why you do it. Confiding in her shows that you genuinely care about her friendship and you’re willing to tell her this because you trust and love her.

By: Natalie

Natalie — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 03:14:30 +0000

Hi everyone my name is Natalie and I am now 16 and have been cutting for about 5 years. I know cutting is bad for me and the people I know who self-injure I encourage them to get help. My dad has tried to get me help but for some reason he gave up. I don’t know what to do, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. The support from my boyfriend is pretty much all I need. I haven’t cut in a few months but did want too a few days ago but then I realized that life is a blessing. It’s the best thing anyone can have, why risk it? Why risk dying in a painful way? I think to myself and wonder what would happen if I died and I cry about it all the time. I think about all of the people I would hurt. My boyfriend especially and it kills me. I don’t want the people around me to suffer because of my death. Sometimes I feel like I’m not important in anyone’s life but I am. I have a purpose in life just as you all do. Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone has someone who loves them. I know I’m addicted to cutting and I hope to be able to get rid of this addiction but I know it’s going to take time. But at least I’ve learned how to control it instead of it controlling me.

By: Tyla

Tyla — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:04:49 +0000

hi i have been cutting for about a year + im 14 almost 15 how can i tell my bestfriend i am afraid she will over react but i have to tell her so how can i?

By: Lindsay

Lindsay — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 04:12:32 +0000

I was cutting my wrists with scissors from march 2010 until december 2010. I started because I was being horribly bullied every day by my brother. i know it probably sounds stupid but every day when I would get home from school my brother would kick, punch, and shove me. He would call me fat, worthless, stupid, and he even once said that if he was me he would kill himself. I really felt like a worthless piece of trash. And the only thing worse than being bullied by a peer is being bullied by a family member who is supposed to love you. I told my mom but she said that it was just harmless sibling rivalry and that its not called “bullying” if it is your sibling being mean to you. I felt like she didnt care and that i was just all alone. I told my best friend about it because she was self-injuring herself too but she wasn’t doing anything horrible (just scratching herself and pushing pencils onto her legs…) so I knew she would understand. She kept my secret til one day in december she told one of my other friends and that friend told my parents. They confronted me and were bawling their eyes out. They begged me not to kill myself and I assured them that it wasn’t that serious so I stopped. What really worries me is that I will start up again because I get urges so many times. Can anybody give me any suggestions on how to make sure I dont start up again cuz everytime I get upset or angry I always get the urge to cut again… I am scared because it is so addicting and is always on my mind.

By: Gloria

Gloria — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 02:37:30 +0000

I just turned 22 and i stopped cutting for 2 years but one little thing can trigger it and as hard as i fought it got the better of me and as soon as i did that first cut i was hooked again. yeaa i now have to hide it from my family again but it really does help me.

By: Britt

Britt — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 22:07:40 +0000

Hey guys,
ive been through cutting on and off since i was 9 and now that i have stopped its been a year. now i help my friends with the same problem, i have stopped a few friends from going all the way i know how the feel since i have been there. i know how it feels to be alone but your really not there are a lot of people out there that are willing to listen to you. if guys need someone i can there for you just send me an email
its cool_cats_1@hotmail.com
or add me on facebook

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 15:08:18 +0000

i take this comment as pretty offensive… me and some of my friends would be concidered “emo” and i am the only one of my friends who cut, and my “EMO” friends, they try to stop me from cutting, they did not make me start cutting… that would have been my uncles suicide and my moms attempted suicide. before you go blaming her friends, maybe you should look deeper into what your family has done to make her want to cut, if you honestly cant find the slightest thing, then go ahead blame people like me and my friends…. by the way, emo is a stereotype… just because somebody is emo doesnt mean they cut

By: Janee

Janee — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:49:21 +0000

• I’m doing a project on this at school and one of the reasons I decided on this subject, was because I know how it feels. I’ve never cut. I’ve been really close on multiple occasions but what’s always stopped me was the thought of the end result. I wasn’t afraid, just sad about what might happen to me and how it could affect my family and friends. And I have to say I admire you all for putting yourself out there and admitting you have a problem and seeking help. It’s gotta be hard. And the people of the world are so ignorant sometimes. They say things like “why would you cut yourself, its so stupid.” But there’s so much more behind this. And Lena, it just means you’re near a breakthrough. If you ever need to talk, know I’m here. Just respond to this comment.

By: Scott

Scott — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 22:42:37 +0000

Parents:

Many children begin cutting to to replace their emotional pain with physical pain. Some emotional pain is brought on due to problems at home. The Total Transformation Program (Information provided in our ad space to the right) may help you, the parent, reduce parent/child stress at home. Try The Total Transformation Program today!

By: Lena

Lena — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:37:08 +0000

I started Cutting in April this year. I had dismantled my disposable razor out of boredom one night and ended up cutting. I only cut four times that night, once on my thigh and three times on my ankle. I didnt really see what was so addicting that night but later that week i got upset. I took out the razors and cut eight more times all on my ankle. I kept cutting for a month by the end of it I had 42 cuts on both my ankles. Some part of me kept track writing how many times i cut on my calender hoping my mom would see and stop me. It was late march early june when my mom threatened to clean my room out while i was at school, i hid my razors in a box and brought them to school with me. It was first hour whe my best guy friend was digging through my bag looking for my cellphone when he found the box. He got really mad at me and threw the razors away box and all. I havent cut since then. But lately its been getting really hard not too. I cant even look at my razor without wanting to rip it apart and cut. What should I do?

By: Loren

Loren — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:56:22 +0000

I first cut a year and a half ago. It was the summer holidays, and I was all alone. I made myself a knife out of scoobies and a blade from my craft knife. I only cut a feew times that summer, then I put the knife away for a year.
At the beginning of this year I started again, and it got to the point where I would cut every day when I got home from school. I was too scared to cut deeply, so the scars were never really obvious, but I felt really sick the whole time – but I couldn’t stop. I was obsessed.
Ash Wednesday came and I made a lenten promise never to cut again. I kept that promise – the letter, but not the spirit. I would use my fingernails or penlids to scratch at my wrist. I was addicted. I would leave classes to get my fix.
Eventually one of my friends caught me and told me to stop. If that had been it, I don’t know if I would have been able to. But then she started crying and my heart started bleeding. And since then I haven’t selfharmed, although there have been many times that i’ve stared at a penlid, WANTING to scratch – but I didn’t. I’ve been ‘clean’ for almost two months now. It’s hard, but it’s manageable. You can beat it. If you feel like you want to cut, try ripping up a piece of paper, or scratching the edge of the desk. ANything to relieve the urge without actually doing somethign to yourself.
God bless, you can do it…

By: kaylee

kaylee — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:31:31 +0000

I’m 17 years old, and I started cutting about a year ago. I’ve never been abused or have had anything really bad happen in my life, but this year I just got really really depressed. Cutting was working for me, and it allowed me to function on a regular day-to-day basis without letting anyone know that something was wrong. Eventually my mom found out, and though at the time it was the worst thing ever, it ended up being a good thing. Since then I’ve been to programs at two different psychiatric hospitals, and I am currently going to therapy once a week. I’ve come a long way since then and even went a whole month and two days without cutting, which, for me, felt like the biggest accomplishment. When I stopped cutting, I felt so much better emotionally, but I ended up going back to it and I still don’t know why. Now I am cutting again and I think I’m okay with that. Maybe it’s because it makes me feel like a superhero that I can injure myself without feeling the pain, or because I’m not ready to give up that part of my life yet. I guess my advice for anyone new to SI is to stop now, before you’re so addicted that it seems nearly impossible, and to those who are trying to stop just take it one day at a time and if you’re on a long stretch of no SI, don’t go back to it. I wish I could follow my own advice, but good luck to everyone else out there. It’s nice to know I’m not alone.

By: alan

alan — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:00:11 +0000

I started having problems with cutting when I was 11 or 12. I figured out later it was related to severe sexual abuse that I suffered as a child. I am 47 years old now and I still struggle with this at times as well as a lot of other stuff. I went to counseling as a teen and again in my 30s and again later but none for the past 6 years. Does it ever go away?

By: Ithfifi

Ithfifi — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 21:58:50 +0000

First off, welldone on the very useful and well worded infomation. Too many websites make light of such a serious problem, or the texting is very uninformative.

I started cutting at the age of 11, and have bascially been hooked for 10 years. Through my teens I was sent to a young person’s mental unit as an inpatient because of it. Reading through these posts I see so many simular cases. I would like to sayd “I’ve not cut for x-amount” of time but I have an awful habit of falling back into it.

Its awful to be accused of wanting attention, I myself never made any attempt to show my cuts or scars off. I know there are many genuine troubled people who do this to cope.. sadly there are some of those out there who will do it for attention, which really gives those who are struggling, often a bad outlook when seeking help.

My school counsellor (who I saw after 4 years of cutting) was a total gem, She did her best. I’ve seen numerous psychs and doctors about this, and Its something that at 21 now, I am having CBT therapy for.

I know there are people out there who can break the hold of self harm, So I think we should all try to remember that.