Just wondering why.

[RedTheViking]

Sorry if this sounds mean or offensive. But can i ask why do people cut themselves?
i have a friend that cuts herself , and i ask her why... and she just says to distract myself. i respond by saying why cant you just go for a ride , or read a book , or listen to music. She always just mumbles of a reply.
im just honestely curious to why people cut them self.
i hope i dont come off mean.
Thanks.

[Kaius]

A lot of people self harm for different reasons. Family problems, Grief, Bullying, Friendship group changes, changes in their lives, abuse. The list goes on. Different things affect different people, and they have different ways of coping with things. This was recently written by myself and another member, have a look it may answer your question a bit better :) http://www.virtualteen.org/forums/showthread.php?t=73510

[Scarface]

That's a good question i don't find it mean. The reason people cut is to "numb" themselves from the world from the pain that their in or something that may be wrong at the moment. It is what I like to call a temporary heal potion because when you cut yourself or harm yourself you get the brief second of an amazing feeling then you feel guilty or you go back to thinking about your problems again. It becomes an addiction and before you know it you cut more often and you have scars everywhere.It's not a good thing. I would recommend that you maybe try talking your friend into getting some help. This is not a healthy thing. I hope this helps..

[Antonioc]

a)To push my sadness away so I don't kill myself.

b)To take my anger out so I don't kill someone else.

c)To make myself feel, when it seems like I'm isolated from the world.

d)To punish myself for being such a horrible person.

e)Because I'm so used to it, it kills me not to do it.

Those are my reasons at least.

[xgeekyrocksx]

for me it was because i didnt have any friends. I was the wierd girl no one spoke to. Unless they were being awful. So i got all angry and began scracthing my self and things like that. but then i tried cutting and it felt good. during it i felt i found what i needed. now about a year and a half on.. i have friends...but the cutting has stuck with me and when i dont i just...cry..and cant cope..
thats just me. its different for every one i think xx

[TaintedBlood]

Where do I start?

1) I feel like I deserve it
2) I need to cut to think clearly and to function normally
3) So I don't act like a D-bag to my best friends
4) Family problems
5) To stop thinking about my past
6) I feel like nobody's listening
7) To get rid of anger and sadness
8) To temporarily get rid of paranoia

:/

[1_21Guns]

reasons vary on the person i guess.
some feel like they deserve the pain, others just want it to take the pain from something else they're feeling. it relieves anger. pretty much alot of other things like everyones said.
it's something most dont understand till they do it. and when they've done it, they wish they'd never bothered because it turns out to be an addiction.
one you'd much rather not have.

[Mike321]

As everyone else has said, there are a number of different reasons why people cut.
For me it was (and still is sometimes) because I felt I deserved the pain, and to take my mind off other things

[Amyxoxo]

I think that it is very good of you finding out why she is doing this and trying to help her so +rep for that!
So as has been said people do it for many different reasons why don't you ask her why she does it.
We can give you our reasons but we are not the problem :) xx

[Asylum]

i cut for many reasons...
1. to forget the past.. i was sexually assulted, also abused... so its a distraction and brings releif from the things in my past...

2. when i'm angry at myself it's self punshment
3. i hallucinate, so it brings me back when i'm hallucinting
4. when i go numb it lets me feel again.
5. when i'm stressed it's a relief
6. when i'm sad it just makes me feel better.
7. brings the pain im feeling on the inside out
8. its addictive... as a drug is..

it is good you are tryin to help her and understand why.

[Janey18588]

When im in an upsetting or agrivating sitution i dont cry i cut ..It's my way of expressing emotion .Other times il do it because im guilty or angry or anxious..its a breif escape from reality ....

[synthetix]

When you suffer from pain your body starts creating Endorphin.
So when you start cutting for one of the given reasons, you can get addicted to the Endorphin made by your body.

Thats my reason to cut.

[georgiamay]

well, i did it for a number of different reasons, it depended on the situation.

1) to kind of drive the pain away when i felt physical pain i would feel emotional pain.
2) to take my anger out so i wouldn't end up lashing out violently at other, so i did it to myself.
3) to punish myself
4) because i didn't feel anything at all.

there were times when i was so hysterical i wouldn't even notice a was doing it until i looked down and saw the blood :l it always depended on the time that i did hurt myself, it was always for different reasons. one day i was punishing myself, the next i was driving the pain away, the next i was making myself feel something.

everyone has their own unique reasons.

i dont think it was a mean question, i only find it mean when people ask it mockingly, which you didn't.

[Zeh Crazy]

I cut to punish myself, or because I am so angry that if I don't hurt myself, I will hurt someone else. When I was a child, I used to hit myself because I was angry, so now that I'm older, I just found a more effective way. I also cut out of boredom sometimes. Or to see how much pain I can take.

Some people cut for: attention, to replace emotional pain with physical pain, out of boredom, because they don't know what else to do, because they feel guilty, because they like pain, etc.

[LoveMe_HateMe]

the reasons i do it is
1) brings me out of feeling so low
2) when i feel alone
3) when i feel angry
4) cope with stress etc