Self Injury / Cutting

Updated May, 2018.

OMG, Niki, look at your belly! Are you cutting yourself?

Uh, no, Taylor, I had an appendectomy when I was eight. That’s when you have an emergency operation and they remove your appendix. That’s a scar. Far different than what cutting scars would look like. I can show you those if you want.

Huh? So you do cut?!

 I used to. I don’t anymore.

I know a guy on my team who cut. The coach found out and they made a deal that whenever this kid wants to cut he has to do 20 push ups instead. I don’t think he’s cutting because, man, is he in great shape!

Cool. Good for him. I stopped cutting when I figured out why I was doing it in the first place…

As you will learn, cutting is a form of non-suicidal self-injury: when a person chooses to harm the surface of his or her body using all sorts of different objects, from razor blades and thumbtacks to erasers and nail files, or even with just his own nails or teeth. But no matter which method is used, the question remains, why would someone self-harm in the first place?

Experts and teens themselves report that cutting is often a way to express and deal with deep distress and emotional pain. This post explores just what is happening and offers some help along the way.

You will learn:

What is cutting and why do people do it?

What are the signals that someone is cutting?

Social contagion – they cut, should I?

Consequences of cutting

Underlying emotions: Tara’s story

Strategies and advice for people who cut

YSS BONUS: Questions & resources if you cut

YSS Bonus: Rejection: a popular self-harm trigger

(A primary source of information for the following posts is: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/self_injury.htm and from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/self-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20350950)

Post Question:

Have you ever heard of cutting? Have you ever heard of self-harm?

Answer the post question here

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What's being said

  • Maria
    Posted at 20:28h, 15 May Reply

    Yes i have heard of self-harm/cutting and i know a person who used to.

  • wlkhs1309
    Posted at 12:55h, 11 October Reply

    Yes sadly this is topic that many people re aware of in our generation. I do not know people personly who have done it but i have seen people before. I have have hurd of self harm to which I belive corosponds with mental illnes