how does cutting help?

[Travtheman95]

Hey everyone i was wondering how cutting helps. Does it make you feel any better or does it just leave you with itchy scars?

[Kaius]

It helps everyone in different ways depending on why you're doing it. For most its a coping mechanism. It covers up emotional or mental pain, it can be a release for the self harmer. It can make you feel better for a period of time, until the urge to do it again resurfaces and then it turns into a cycle. It's a hard addiction to push away.

[ShatteredWings]

I really hate these questions. If you don't know, you probably won't get it.

cutting is an adrenalin rush, like other dangerous activities.
some people get something out of the blood (im one of them)
other people prefer physical pain to emotionall pain, they cope with it better.
its a ritual for some.
it can easily become an addiction, and overwhelm someone's life where they need the cuts.

[Fiction]

Cutting has been known to help in a lot of ways.
For some people it helps them feel "alive" when they feel numb inside. They want to feel the physical pain because emotionally, they can't feel anything.
For other people they use it as a way to punish themselves. If they feel guilt or shame over something, it makes them feel better if they can punish themself.
It can also give a sense of control, that may be missing in an another part of a person's life.
It is also used to relieve tension and stress.
As was said above, self harm means something different to everyone and it could be any of the above reasons, a mixture of the above or something totally different.

If you are asking this because you are considering self harming, please think again. It can easily become an addiciton that can take over your life. It helps for a short period of time but soon ends up with you having negative effects.

Hope I helped :)

[Travtheman95]

I really hate these questions. If you don't know, you probably won't get it.

cutting is an adrenalin rush, like other dangerous activities.
some people get something out of the blood (im one of them)
other people prefer physical pain to emotionall pain, they cope with it better.
its a ritual for some.
it can easily become an addiction, and overwhelm someone's life where they need the cuts.

im sorry if u hate it, but im asking a question, and if u didnt want to answer it, then dont. But u decided to post an answer. so u can answer it without telling me about how u hate it.
thanks
Travtheman

Cutting has been known to help in a lot of ways.
For some people it helps them feel "alive" when they feel numb inside. They want to feel the physical pain because emotionally, they can't feel anything.
For other people they use it as a way to punish themselves. If they feel guilt or shame over something, it makes them feel better if they can punish themself.
It can also give a sense of control, that may be missing in an another part of a person's life.
It is also used to relieve tension and stress.
As was said above, self harm means something different to everyone and it could be any of the above reasons, a mixture of the above or something totally different.

If you are asking this because you are considering self harming, please think again. It can easily become an addiciton that can take over your life. It helps for a short period of time but soon ends up with you having negative effects.

Hope I helped :)

I wasnt considering cutting just looking through the forums and wonderin about it. Thanks for the post! Its interesting how people can get addicted to it.

[georgiamay]

everyone does it for different reasons.
some do it because they feel completely numb inside, and if they cut themselves then at least they feel something.
some do it to relieve emotional tension or stress.
some do it so they can feel they are in control of their own life, and some do it so they can see blood.
some people like the scars, like it makes them feel like no one can hurt them as much as they can hurt themselves, and it makes them feel safe.
after a while, some people start doing it out of habit because it becomes addictive. physical pain releases endorphines in the brain which make you feel better, and some people just get addicted and use it as a coping mechanism for everyday life.
some (when i say some, i mean it is EXTREMELY rare) do it for attention, but this is a small minority, so please don't assume we all want attention.

some people might self harm for a different reason, or it could be all of these reasons together. it varies from person to person. hope this helped a little :)

[Marcie]

In the long run, it doesn't help at all. Not one bit.
I know at least for me, it has only really made me angry at myself and hate myself even more..

But to answer your question, this is why it would make some people feel better.
This is the scientific answer lol.

I did not write this, I got it from this little booklet I had a while ago.

Donna Rae Siegfried’s text, “Anatomy and Physiology for Dummies,” explains that the nociceptors, specialized nerve endings in the skin, function to sense pain. Epinephrine, which you probably know as adrenaline, is produced by the adrenal medulla, which is located on top of the kidneys. Epinephrine is rushed throughout the circulatory system upon initiation of a stressful situation. A laceration to the body would incite this response due to the pain sensed by the central nervous system.
Epinephrine causes the breathing rate and the heart rate to increase. Norepinephrine is also released in a stressful situation such as a laceration induced from ‘cutting.’ Norepinephrine causes vasoconstriction, or tightening of the blood vessels. The tightening of the blood vessels makes them smaller thus increasing blood pressure.

Tissue injury results in an inflammatory response. A damaged capillary – many would be damaged in the case of a ‘cutter’ – triggers the release of histamine. Histamine causes dilation of the capillary. The body needs more blood flow so that more immune system cells can come and fight any microbes that would potentially cause an infection. Bradykinin is also released at the same time. This chemical causes the nerves to send a signal of pain to the brain.
The pain signal sent to the brain causes a pain relief response in the body. Natural pain relievers produce pleasure in the brain and body. An unpleasant action, such as cutting, produces a pleasant feeling in a short amount of time. ‘Cutting’ can be addictive because the endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin that are released by the body can feel similar to a drug rush, though to a lesser degree. Chemically, these neurotransmitters are very similar to many prescription painkillers.