Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 9 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 2 months ago by
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Why do people self-mutilate? Is it attention seeking? Cultural? A mental disability?
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Name : Kellie, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 21, City : victoria, State : NA, Country : Australia, Occupation : uni student, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I don’t belief self-mutilation is any of those things. When I was 17 and 18, I used to cut my forearms, upper arms and breasts very often. I would say that I was so severely depressed that the pain of the cutting was the only thing that made me feel something but numb. I used to think of the Nine Inch Nails song that went, ‘I hurt myself today to see if I still feel; I focus on the pain, the only thing that’s real.’ It sounds melodramatic, but when you can’t even bring yourself to get out of bed or take a shower, it makes a lot of sense.
I used to cut myself mostly when I was very angry or completely despairing. The cuts weren’t very deep, though I did know people who cut (or burned) themselves more severely than I did.
I was not seeking attention; in fact, I went to great pains to hide my cutting. I was not mentally disabled, unless you count severe depression. You might call it cultural; there are certain groups of young people who struggle with mental illness who seem more prone to self-injuring. I had one friend who even told me which kind of knives were best.
In the end, a nurse at my college’s health clinic saw my cuts and sent me to a psychiatrist. I haven’t done it in years, though for a long time after, the urge would come back whenever I was very, very upset or hurt. I can say that, eight years or so later, it has completely stopped.
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Name : Sanvean, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 23, City : Lansing, State : MI, Country : United States, Occupation : journalist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I’ve known many who ‘cut.’ What I’ve observed thus far is that their self-esteem is rock-bottom (self-hatred, you could say), they’re very dissatisfied with their lives and they want a break in the monotony. Cutting provides a cheap thrill (the kind you get from breaking windows or giving yourself a do-it-yourself tattoo with a knitting needle), and possibly has something to do with momentarily boosting serotonin levels (the neurochemical that Prozac increases).
It’s also an expression of self-hatred, and is sort of a catharsis taken out on one’s self, sort of like how an abusive father who has a lousy day at work comes home and beats his kids. I’ve found that some also do it to make a statement to those around them, doing it on their hands and forearms so people will notice. This statement can either be ‘I don’t give a f***,’ ‘look at me, I’m terrible’ or ‘help me.’ I don’t recall the protocol for responding to cutting, but hopefully another poster will know it (a list was once published on what and what not to do).
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Name : Dan27347, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 22, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Many people who self-mutilate become diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. The essential components of this disorder are an instability of self-image, highly fluctuating moods, extreme efforts to avoid abandonment and self-injurious behaviors. They often cut or harm themselves while under stress. Paradoxically, the cutting relieves their tension. Often, they choose to create physical pain as a way of distracting themselves from their emotional pain. Counseling is often helpful for people with this disorder.
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Name : Leslie22876, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Tampa, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Psychologist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,I wonder if cutting isn’t a reaction to stress. Oprah Winfrey did a talk show on people who pull out their hair and then started talking about how she pulled out her eye lashes for a couple years when she was younger and under huge stress. There was also a famous female news reporter (I don’t remember who) who had the same experience. It’s supposed to be somewhat common. I think anyone under enough stress will start doing weird things like cutting, lass pulling, etc. I’ve also noticed that the people I know with depression always become worse under stress and are happier when not. It’s just an opinion, but cutting seems like trying to give yourself a shock to change or numb the emotions you don’t want. Maybe these people have an inability to deal with stress, or a lower thresshold for it. Maybe they need to learn ways to deal with stress.
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Name : Beth, Gender : F, City : Indianapolis, State : IN, Country : United States,I self mutilated for quite while until about a year ago. I think many people do it for many different reasons, and I know quite a few people who seemed to be doing it for attention. I knew girls that would scrape their wrists and wear tee-shirts and shove it in everybody’s faces, claiming that they didn’t want anybody to notice. That always bothered me. I was always mortified of what I had resorted to and did my best not to let anybody on to it. I did it because I felt like the world around me was crushing me, as it all seemed to be falling in around me. I couldn’t breathe and it felt like the only way to take my mind off of everything that was swimming in my head was to have external pain to focus on. So I’d cut different parts of my body in order to cause myself so much pain that I couldn’t think about anything else. That’s only a personal experience and I have been trying to grow from it, it can still be hard though. I know that’s only one reason, and I’m sure there are a million more…
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Name : Jayme, Gender : F, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 18, City : Salt Lake, State : UT, Country : United States,I started when I was 14.I cut because I was severly depressed. Not for attention and I’m not mental.I was put in a mental hospital and now I’m fine. I have a one year old son and look forward to the rest of my life. Some people just cant understand it—my parents couldn’t. It’s just a way to get your anger out. Like cranking your music—some people react to things differently.
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Name : Jessica, Gender : Female, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 19, City : Louisville, State : KY, Country : United States, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class,I am a 16 year old teenager who has been cutting for six years and want to get out of the damn habit. I cut to release my feelings I really do not want die or to continue in this old behavior.
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Name : michaele, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Presbyterian, Age : 16, City : neenah, State : WI, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,I’ve wondered about this very question, the odd thing, I am one of those people who am prone to hurting myself. I understand that sometimes my desire comes from wanting to punish myself, but other times just being upset gives me the desire. The pain (I am too much of a wuss to inflict anything bad, usually digging my nails into my skin is more than enough) somehow is relieving. I don’t understand it. One theory I’ve heard is that physical pain is easier to deal with than emotional pain, so this conversion is somehow helpful to the person. Any other ideas?
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Name : Dee, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Denver, State : CO, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,For about four years, I’ve been pulling out my brow hairs impulsively with the pads of my fingers. I do the same with my eyelashes. Personally, I would assimilate the impulsive mutilations with a mental disability, but that’s a complicated territory. There are lots of mental disorders that can cause the afflicted person to self-mutilate absentmindedly in reaction to stress. The two I mentioned above belong in that category. There are also disorders characterized by excessive attention-seeking behavior, such as Histrionic Personality Disorder, where self-mutilation is only an aspect of the general manipulative interpersonal behavior. The gestures of self-mutilation vary from person to person, and each individual is a unique blend of race, ethnicity (cultural background), class, ge
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Name : LaurenG, Gender : Female, City : Austin, State : TX, Country : United States,
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