reasons why teens hurt themselves

[EmptySoul]

hello everyone. as i've said in my previous posts, i hurt myself, but don't anymore. sometimes i still want to, but i'm trying not to. i fell across this information while on the internet the other day, and reading it made me feel better b/c it kind of explained why i did what i did. i printed most of it, but not all, so if there is something you're looking for that i dont have on here, PM me and i will go back and look for the links. everything in bold are things that directly apply to me, etc..

*Cutting is overwhelmingly the most common type of self-harm, but some people bang their head, some people stick themselves with pins and needles, and some people scratch or rub until they abrade their skin.

*Cutting Is Not A Suicide Attempt*

*Many people are viewed as suicidal but [self-harm is much more of a self-preservation act.

*The first cut is a result of a large insult or catastrophe, and the second cut takes less provocation. The third cut takes even less, and the next thing you know you are cutting because you anticipate having a bad day, and after that they cut because they are at a low point in [their] mood cycle, an then finally they cut because it's been too long since the last cut...

*Self-harm is associated with depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and a history of trauma or abuse...

*...being increasingly anxious, depressed, unable to handle feelings or emotions, and panicky.

* Self-injurers may give a single reason for their behavior, but, more commonly, their
reasons are multiple and sometimes, on the surface, seemingly conflicting.

* Relief From Overwhelming Emotions*

*...not learned to identify, express, or release their emotions

*Physical Expression Of Emotional Pain

*...provide evidence/confirmation of their psychological suffering

*...scars as being a wa to see the pain they feel inside

*...bringing their pain out to be seen and perhaps healed

*...tend to minimize or doubt their own internal experiences

*...allows them to have concrete evidence of intangibe, amorphous, or indefinable emotions

*...speaks loudly of the pain the individual feels long before they have the words to express it

I hope this helped someone. It helped me understand myself and my actions.


Emptysoul

[Ash]

Perhaps it's a way to feel like you're in control of something in your life? A way of punishing yourself for how you feel? Just some thoughts. I don't know, I never went through a stage like that.

[dpressedone89]

i used to cut my self three times a day every day. ive gone for two weeks with out doing it. i have so much too deal with with my friends who cut i know someone who cut herself at a party and almost blead to death because she was too afraid to goto the hospital because they would tell her parents. we burn our selvs together but we are both trying to quit .
she cut beacause her parents beet her but she would rather tough it for the next year than get cops involved we are both trying to quit together
cutting is not about control it is about turning mental pain you cant find to
deal with to physical pain that will go away if you are really trying to quit
write down how you feel and just think happy thoughts things do get better
right now i want to cut really badly because im with a girl i love and who loves me back but i am 15 and she is 18 plus she has a boyfriend. my last advise is to find some one you can talk to

[under_the_pressure]

I read this post when it was first posted way back when but I was just browsing through again and thought I'd bring it back to the top. I never understood many of these things before because I never was a 'cutter' but now that I do cut I understand these things. And they make alot of sense.

under*

[iwillhelpyou02]

keep the messages short and sweet please im sry but i just cant read that all without my parents walking in and cing this stuff............

[mymelancholysoul]

Informative and helpful. I much enjoyed reading this. As a cutter of three years plus, I was surprised to see how much that truly pertained to me.