Helping someone who cuts

[rachel_ballet]

I've read a lot about cutting. I'm not a cutter, but there's a girl in our ballet class that is a cutter. Tonight was the third time that saw her doing it. We have a changing room, and as my friend and I were leaving, we saw her by herself with a towel wrapped around her finger and we saw some blood on the towel. She looked up at us as we were walking by and I asked if she was okay and she said "f**k you!" to my friend and me. We knew what she was doing. She really keeps off to herself, but she is an awesome dancer. When she's not dancing, she is kinda a loner. We have all tried to make friends with her and we've always invited her out to join us after dance class for pizza, ice cream, or other activities that we do after dance class sometimes, and she always declines. While she's dancing, she is socialable, and she even has tutored me a lot when I started at this dance school. I'm just so afraid that she is gonna hurt herself badly. I don't wanna be a snitch and tell our dance instructor, but I am at a total loss on what to do!

[ImagineRepublicCity]

Well, it's good to let someone know, but if she doesn't want your help directly, leave at that. It's good you've acknowledge it and asked her if she's okay, but if she doesn't want it and she goes aggressive over it, you have to leave it. Like I said, tell a respectable adult, because they don't go up to the person and say "So Rachel told me you self harm, if this true?" because privacy reasons, etc.

If you do want to help her out though, continue to try and talk to her. She might not want to go out places or anything, but you can talk to her. Ask her for help on something out of class or just ask her how she is.

All the best~ c:

[ksdnfkfr]

Yeah reporting it to the right person is really all you can do. My cousin did that with me and it ended up with me getting help I needed. I doubt he would have been able to help me on his own and definitely would not have been able to help me nearly as effectively.

[cgtlks]

Usually I'd say you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped but in this case this girl is partially suicidal and cutting is her only way out....it's what she's used to so breaking away from that habit is going to take some time. What I would do is write her a note expressing...that you want to be her friend and if not that someone she can talk to or write to express some of your struggles so she feels a connection of some sort ,make her feel wanted,safe ,genuinely loved because she has probably lacked 1 if not all of those things ...then either give her the letter ...or secretly put it in her belongings but do state who you are in the letter and wait about 4-5 days and she'll come around ....if not get others to write her a letter ....make her feel as welcomed and safe as can be ...