+- School Survival Forums (http://forums.school-survival.net)
+-- Forum: Support & Psychology (/forumdisplay.php?fid=54)
+--- Forum: Psychology - Life, Love & Learning (/forumdisplay.php?fid=56)
+--- Thread: Cutting, why? (/showthread.php?tid=35515)
Cutting, why? - MurkScribe - 06-21-2015 11:54 AM
So first off, one of the first experiences I actually had a meaningful and good relationship with a girl was at this lock in thing from a church that my friends brought me to, during the 7th grade of my summer year. It was a good memory and its still something I cherished in my heart. It was over a very long 12 hour thing since I would be and the youth group be staying up all night and stuff. So alomg the way while we were doing the events, she said something funny to intiate the intrest and from there we kept on talking and talking staying together untilthe endof the lock in. Sorry for not giving much information, but that is alll I have have so yeah. In the end she wanted a phone number out of me, but at the time I felt that this relationship couldnt last at all with being long distance, so I was like eh. Two years later I decided to call and text her again. She told about what happened those two years and a little bit more out of herself. She kind of described how she would cut herself and have suicidal thoughts overherself, and would describe cutting herself as a warm and conforting feeling. I tried to talk to her as to why she cutted herself or had those feelings in the first place to which she replied, "Im just psycho". I kind of resonated and shared experiences with her as she was reported to the counselor for cutting herself and was told why she was doing these things, when she had high grades and was a good student. So shes not in any IEP or special education program, which makes me think wether or not special education truly serves and help mental illnesses, depression, and help people who are different. So she has been cutting herself since 6th grade and now she is cutting herself again in 8th grade, she also shared experiences of sexual harassment from this one guy online, which made her feel disgusted with the notion of sex calling it disgusting and saying that bodies are disgusting. Shes been like this since late 2014. She told me that cutting yourself is something to do when youre bored and shouldnt be taken serious. But what does pscyhology or studies have to say on why people cut themselves in the first place?
Cutting, why? - brainiac3397 - 06-21-2015 12:12 PM
I heard cutting is meant to be either a "cry for help/attention", "a way of releasing anxiety you can't deal with in a healthy fashion", and/or "feeling pain to feel like you're actually alive".
However I've never cut and don't recall a bunch of stuff I read. Some people on this forum have done cutting though and they can probably provide a better 1st-hand account.
Cutting, why? - Chanku - 06-21-2015 02:03 PM
Her statement about how,
Quote:..cutting yourself is something to do when youre bored and shouldnt be taken serious.both worries and angers me a little. Self Harm is not a joke. It's rather serious and people who do it 'for fun' somewhat disgust me. People who demean people who self harm disgust me. However you didn't particularly ask for reactions.
Now to answer your question; it's actually used as a coping mechanism albeit a self destructive one. The Mayo Clinic states:
Mayo Clinic, Self Harm Wrote:...self-injury is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration.However the 'calm' it brings is temporary and doesn't help, as stated by the Mayo Clinic:
Mayo Clinic, Self Harm Wrote:While self-injury may bring a momentary sense of calm and a release of tension, it's usually followed by guilt and shame and the return of painful emotions. And with self-injury comes the possibility of more serious and even fatal self-aggressive actions.
tl;dr it's a coping mechanism, and lead to greater things.
Sources:
Personal Note (Click to View)
Cutting, why? - xcriteria - 06-21-2015 11:52 PM
Chanku summed it up. She may well have some trauma and stressors beyond what she described.
For the school part of it, it's worth noting that doing well in school isn't necessarily a sign of mental health, well-being, or happiness. IEPs and special education are for people who aren't fitting in with school-as-usual and have a diagnosis that qualifies them for adjustments. But, they're a way to slightly modify how school works, rather than about addressing anyone's underlying issues or necessarily promoting learning or well-being beyond the school curriculum.
It's also worth noting the contrast between her saying "I'm just psycho," implying she's very different and has some substantial problems, with her saying it's "something to do when youre bored and shouldnt be taken serious." Something is going on and it's certainly worth taking seriously.
She may have meant that she's not intending to cause herself serious harm and it's not a life-threatening situation, but that doesn't mean it's something to ignore.
But beyond whatever problems and causes there are, it's worth stepping back and asking her about other parts of life. Like, what are her interests? What does she like doing? What might she see herself doing in the future? If she has any ideas those things or what she'd like to do beyond her current situation, that's something to discuss.
Also, is she seeing any kind of mental health professional and/or has she talked to her parents or others in her life about this? (That isn't always enough, but sometimes it can help.) Also, you might point her to Kati Morton's YT channel... she's a therapist and has a number of videos about self-harm. Here's one.
Watch on YouTube
Cutting, why? - Rule_BreakerXVIII - 06-23-2015 02:49 PM
I think I remember reading somewhere that cutting is addictive because it releases endorphins, like running (like a runner's high?) or eating spicy foods. I did try to cut once, but ended up finding out that I cannot do it.
RE: Cutting, why? - brainiac3397 - 06-23-2015 03:08 PM
Spicy food endorphins? All I feel is the boiling of my blood to the point it feels like my interior is a sauna.
Cutting, why? - Missile - 06-24-2015 12:20 AM
cutting yourself isn't something that should be seen as "something to do for fun"