CUTTING / SELF MUTILATION

Cutting is injuring yourself on purpose by making scratches or cuts on your body with a sharp object - breaking the skin and causing bleeding. It is a type of self-injury and often people cut themselves on their wrists, arms, legs and even their stomachs. Some people self-injure by burning their skin with the end of a cigarette or lighted match. Cutting may often provide temporary relief from a terrible feeling but even people who cut say that they know this isn’t a good way to get that relief. For one thing, the relief doesn’t last. The troubles that triggered the cutting remain.

Overview

When cuts or burns from self-injury heal, they often leave scars or marks. These scars and marks are often hidden by those who injure themselves as to not to let anyone else know what they are doing.

This is not a new problem. Self-injury has been happening for a while but people are talking about it more now. All of this talk may even intrigue some individuals and they try it to be daring to fit in since “every one else is doing it” undermining the fact that cutting is a SERIOUS problem.

Why Do People Cut?

Understanding why people cut is sometimes difficult to understand. Those who cut themselves are often trying to cope with pressures, relationship problems, emotions they can’t get a hold of or traumatic experiences. Dealing with certain situations or feelings they feel they can’t change may leave them feeling helpless and cutting is their way of coping.

Cutting becomes a way to deal with problems when no alternative is seem evident. When n individual doesn’t know how to express emotions in a healthy way, tension can build up. This tension can be quite intense and even unbearable and cutting may be an attempt to relieve that tension - a very unhealthy way of feeling in control.

Coping with and releasing these intense feelings can occur in other ways, though.

Here are some other ways to cope:

The help of a mental health professional might be needed for major life troubles.
For other tough situations or strong emotions, it can help put things in perspective to talk problems over with parents, other adults, or friends.
Also, getting plenty of exercise can also help put problems in perspective. Sometimes people who self-injure have other mental health problems that contribute to their emotional tension. Cutting may be associated with depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, obsessive thinking, or compulsive behaviors in some instances. It may also be a sign of mental health problems that cause people to have trouble controlling their impulses or to take unnecessary risks. Some people who cut themselves have problems with drug or alcohol abuse.

What Can Cutting do to People?

Cutting is a way of masking problems for those who self-injure but this feeling of relief does not last. Although cutting is generally done without the intention of hurting oneself seriously - cuts can be deeper than intended leading to infection (often caused by the using nonsterile or dirty things to cut themselves with), a need for stitches and even hospitalization in serious cases.

Most people don’t intend to continue this behavior but it becomes a pattern of coping and often becomes a habit. It can become a compulsive behavior - meaning that the more a person does it, the more he or she feels the need to do it. Eventually the false sense of relief and cutting become synonymous in the mind of a person who cuts making it very difficult to stop. It ultimately ends up controlling you.

Getting Help

Dealing with troubling situations and emotions can be difficult but there are many healthy, long-lasting alternatives to cutting that will help you avoid emotional and physical scars.

It’s important to seek help, so talk with someone you trust. Try to identify the underling triggers that lead to your cutting. A mental health professional can help identify these triggers so don’t be afraid to ask for help. When you find a therapist or counselor you’ll be able to work through your feelings of deep emotional pain or distress.

Getting through this can be very difficult but it is possible. Professional help is important to help you discover your inner strength - you’ll need it to overcome cutting and move on with your life. This inner strength can be help you cope with life’s issues in a healthy way from this point forward.