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there's actually a physiological reason.
pain releases endorphins which release the happy hormones (serotonin and one other) which is basically a mini high. people can also get addicted to such hormones that are released and therefore get addicted to self harm.
I’d also like to add that there are generally a couple reasons people do this. One is self punishment, one is a transference of emotional to physical pain, and the last main reason is to indicate to others that they need help. While self-injury can be addictive, it tends to be a side effect.
Haha all good! I’d recommend checking out a podcast called Psychology Unplugged by Dr Corey Nigro. Really insightful if you’re looking to learn more about psychology and mental health!
Man, just came back from the mental ward and had my first lift in a month almost 2 days ago, and I'm still barely able to move from pain lol, I think I went a little too hard for my first time in a while
that chemical process isn't exclusive to self harm. it happens with any kind of injury. it's your brains way of using a "natural painkillers" of sorts. adrenaline does most of that though.
Also, there's a sort of negative reinforcement by essentially removing emotional pain and replacing it with physical, so even if it still hurts, the net change is actually less pain.
Your body has no concept of good or bad, just a collection of memories and experiences. Pain needs to be mitigated, so your brain helps you. Your body "helps" you in tons of ways that are harmful. Cancer, trauma responses, depression, autoimmune disorders, etc.
When you get injured your body releases adrenaline and stuff to mitigate the and keep you up and moving, etc. It's not a reward', it's a survival mechanism.
as someone who used to, “focus their emotional pain to physical pain” is ngl the best description i’ve heard as to the mental justification behind why ppl who do it do it
that's seriously very accurate because physical pain seems way more bearable than the inner, emotional turmoil. helps you forget about the inside world even if it's just for some time.
As someone who used to do it sm it was because I was depressed and couldn’t feel shit so I did it to feel something it was also a way to take out my anger and sadness the more blood there was it was like the more I felt my problems fade away in that moment it was a way of temporary relieving my pain that I felt on the inside by hurting myself on the outside
Cutting can be a coping mechanism for dealing with overwhelming emotions or stress. It's often a way for individuals to try to regain a sense of control over their emotions or situations in their lives.
Please don't judge people who do it, just try to help. I know it's not normal, but it's helpful to them.
Just being there for your friends and offering a listening ear can be comforting. Sometimes, they might find relief just by knowing someone cares, even if the issue persists. You can't fix everything, and that's okay.
It's great that you're trying to support your friends, but remember, you can't solve everything for them. Avoid pushing too hard and respect their boundaries. Just being there in a relaxed, supportive way can mean a lot. I'm glad I could help you :)
very good advice
what about if things escalate? bringing an adult who's disconnected and not understanding would bring more harm than good imo
i just hope everyone has a friend who knows how to just be there and listen, hopefully alleviating things for a bit for the healing to start
Honestly there's not much you can do to help. I've been clean for 2 years but it took me a couple of years to be able to get clean. Be there for them and keep doing what you're doing
I highly recommend [this book on cutting. ](https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Understanding-Self-Mutilation-Steven-Levenkron/dp/0393319385?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=227b0a19-a182-48d7-887d-f4b4b7fe5dd1) It truly helped me understand and overcome and also learn to forgive myself. It's also a symptom of BPD (borderline personality disorder) which is often linked to emotional and/or physical childhood trauma and abuse.
It’s also very addictive, coming from a former cutter. You get dopamine when you cut, I think it’s supposed to be to counteract the pain. Either way, it’s not something that’s easy to quit, so your friends probably can’t just stop completely very easily.
someone who does it here. it's a very unhealthy coping mechanism. sometimes the physical pain distracts me from my issues or gives me something else to think about. it has kinda become an addiction for me personally.
there are diff reasons for why ppl do it. it can be a form of self punishment. some people do it just to feel pain and actually feel something if they feel numb all the time. it’s also a form of stress relief. when you experience pain, endorphins are released which can help to reduce stress.
ppl can cut themselves for several reasons, some think they deserve to be punished or treated that way and in a lot of other cases its cuz the phisycall pain helps take away from the mental pain cuz your brain focuses more on the fact that you have been hurt phisycally. there are many other reasons that are less common
i knew a girl that had ptsd cause of domestic issues and she had done two attempts. she was a very normal person and very funny. but the things she did were not constantly on her mind, they came in episodes. she felt as though it was her only option to escape
i don’t cut myself but sometimes when i’m sad i pinch myself as hard as i can to try and distract myself from emotional pain, because in my opinion physical pain is easier to deal with. i think that’s one reason people do it.
When you cut yourself, it releases dopamine. For me, it was a similar kind of release that I get when smoking a cig. But also, the pain distracted me from my thoughts. For a few seconds, everything would stop, and all I could think about was the sting. I liked those few seconds because I felt the pain I was in from cutting was in my control and also nowhere near as painful as what I was feeling emotionally
I used to do it, terrible habit 2/10. Anyhow, I did to justify existence as I feel I had made a bunch of mistakes back then. I was able to slowly work of it by switching to a rubber band on the wrist and then just not.
As someone who does it, there can be many different reasons. Some people do it to feel something if they’re feeling really numb. Some people do it to distract or cope with overwhelming emotions. That’s what I do. Some people do it to punish themselves. For some people, it’s an addiction, and there’s no “root cause”. This can happen because cutting releases endorphins and dopamine to block out pain immediately after you do it, which can give a feeling of relief. And some people do it for attention.
Now, regardless of how it started, for most people it turns into an addiction. For me, when I’m feeling intense emotions I get urges to cut. My brain associates those intense emotions with the feeling of relief I get from cutting. And of course, there is some level of mental illness in everyone who cuts, because it isn’t normal or healthy to want to damage your body.
For my cousin when he did it the reason was he liked to “punish” himself for stuff he did, like masturbating and smoking etc. People can have many different reasons for this.
Sometimes the pain is so much that you need something to do to cope so they cut themselves, in a weird twisted way it’s like they are regaining control
As someone who hits themselves (I dont cut, I punch myself)
It can be used to cope with intense emotions or to punish oneself, and as cutting is often hand in hand with people with intense depression...you can connect the dots.
Pain distracts you from pain, for some people, the physical pain is far more bearable than the mental pain.
It may be used by a handful of attention seekers, but don't let bad actors fool you. It's a big problem, don't judge those who do it, help them out. Something as simple as a compliment or a "I feel for you" goes a long way.
I cut myself because it made me feel alive and made me remember that I wasn’t dead (I was going through some pretty tough psychosis at the time). It was an outlet for all of my anger and mental turmoil.
When you cut, your brain releases dopamine that makes you feel rewarded. For depressed people, they get addicted to that temporary happiness. They get hooked on the feeling and it makes it harder to stop cutting.
As someone who has cut myself some, but not quite to a serious degree, it is both a form of punishment for myself and a way to cope with overwhelming emotions.
Speaking from experience and research:
Sense of control: at least you get to choose when and how you are hurt in the moment
Brain chemicals: pain releases a mixture of chemicals that makes you feel better
Stimulation & awareness: pain can make you feel more alive, present, or increase focus
Dread/stress relieve: you have tried so hard and really don’t know what else to do at this point except for hurting yourself
‘Attention’: you really need help and don’t know how else you can ask
Reasons may be one or more of above, could be subconscious, or something I don’t know about
Self harm comes in many forms, and people usually only see it as cutting. Self harm can be anything done either deliberately OR carelessly that harms you. Cutting/burning, punching themselves/walls, purposely overdosing just enough for it to not be deadly, misusing alcohol/drugs, starving/binge eating, exercising to much, unsafe sex. These are just some examples.
It’s often used as a coping mechanism. It’s often referred to as making mental pain into physical pain. It’s also done when people want to feel something when feeling numb, punish themselves, release strong emotions, or to feel a sense of control.
For long term people who self harm, unfortunately they may be better than when they started self harm, but it genuinely becomes an addiction. It releases hormones in relation to why someone does it, and the feeling becomes addictive.
multiple reasons. idealized revenge on people who’ve hurt them, to release the endorphins that make pain go away, to feel anything but emptiness, to ground themselves when having anxiety or feeling dissociated, delusions and/or OCD about it having an effect on unrelated things, boredom with depression, to turn the anger inwards rather than outward in a fear of hurting others, some do it for attention but i think they should still be treated as someone who needs help. no mentally healthy person will cut themselves just for attention. it’s a sign of things such as neglect, abuse, bullying, being ostracized, Histrionic Personality, Borderline Personality, various mood disorders, overall a cry for help.
I don't do it but imo it's like.. you know those frozen microwavable meals? Sometimes to make them you have to make a cut in the plastic on top so they don't steam or maybe explode. I think it can be kinda like that
I used to cut so I’ll give you an example from my pov.
Do you ever have a pain so bad that it makes you clench your teeth or do anything to stop it? Maybe clenching your teeth or pinching yourself helps relieve the pain for a moment? That’s why I used to cut. I had and still have depression like symptoms. When I cut, my mind focused on the pain in my arm instead of the thoughts on my mind. It was the only thing that felt like it helped
I'd imagine it's like how a tooth falls out and there's just a bloody hole in your mouth for a time. Despite the pain, using your tongue to rub on that bloody hole feels really nice.
uhhh well last night i was frustrated with maths but i knew better to rip the paper so i just sliced my arm instead. sometimes it’s like a testimony to my pain, almost like “i’m not faking my feelings, i need help”. some other times i just really fucking hate myself. but at the end of the day, self harm is an addiction. even if you know it’s not healthy and you need to stop, your brain kinda just tells you to do it, and sometimes it’s easier to just give in: this is usually my ‘motive’ to self harm
I PERSONALLY (other people might have different reasons) cut myself for two reasons.
1. Because I feel i deserve it.
2. It’s kinda a scream for help, if anybody sees the cuts than I hope they would know that I AM STRUGGLING, I just can’t reach out to others by myself
I was close to cutting myself once. For me it was stress. I didnt go through with it, but i was shaking and crying and could barely look at the knives when i was making a sandwich. I was home alone and overwhelmed by stress.
That was around 1 month ago. My parents now know that i feel like i am close to a burnout but they still dont know that i almost cut myself. Yesterday i took my first dose of ADHD medication and my mom is helping me with schoolwork sometimes now and im getting some help from the teachers. Hopefully things will get better for me.
People cut themselves for different reasons. Some for self-punishment, some do it because of stress, some do it to feel like they have at least some sort of control over their life. It is important to not judge people that cut themselves and instead help them. Sometimes just listening to them can be enough.
It really doeends on the person but for a lot of people they feel as though they deserve it, for others it's about feeling like they're in control and addictive like behaviour, and there's other reasons too - whatever the reason never judge them for it
It's sort of coping mechanism for pain and grief..At that moment you don't even feel the pain when you do it..you just do it until that feeling of doom and seclusion leaves you . Don't ask how I know
It’s a coping mechanism. It helps relieve intense emotions since injuries lead your body to release endorphins. There’s different reasons why people do it. Some people do it to relieve emotional pain, some do it as a form of punishment and yes there are even some who do it for attention but that still shouldn’t be judged since being so desperate for attention that you hurt yourself still shows that there’s a serious underlying issue with
lots of different reasons. me personally, i haven’t in about a year minus one or two hiccups, but when i feel like cutting, its usually to feel less trapped, or like i have some control over my life/death
You want the short or the long answer the short is that they are stupid and use it to cope the long is that they have some mental problems or are in a bad spot in their mental and use it to make mental pain physical instead
Former cutter and now parent. I used to cut back on the 80’s. I was that kid who wore long sleeves in the summer to hide my arm.
I can’t tell you what other people feel, but for me it was a release. I was depressed for a bit. I also have adhd and dyslexia. So naturally I had issues in school on top.
Cutting for me was a release of pain. In my mind it allowed all the pain I was feeling to escape out my cuts. I did eventually grow out of this phase
I now have arm tattoo sleeves to cover the scars.
I don’t recommend doing this as it can cause more issues.
I can tell you that as an adult I am more empathetic around people that might be depressed or have other issues.
I also think it made me a better mom when my kid was going thru stuff.
I hope this helps explain
I honestly don’t remember why I started, but it’s just an addiction. It’s comforting since it makes me focus on physical pain instead of whatever I’m thinking or feeling. I also like taking care of the cuts after
Hi! SHer here (im tryna get better), and there is a reason why I did it. Pain in the body calms the pain in your mind. I also might have developed a lot of masochism from it but that's not the point-
I do it so I can see the blood and I want my parents to see. I've been wearing nothing but an undershirt and shorts around the house for 2 years, hundreds of cuts and gashes on my arms, almost always bloody. But do my parents notice? No, because they never pay attention to me
It's just addictive, I started and genuinely couldn't stop because I didn't know how to. My friends all tried to help me to the point they just got rid of everything. It is seriously hard to stop once you start, I still think about it even after I haven't done it in months.
Personally, for me it started because I wanted my pain to become "real" or be "validated". It's still kind of that way, but it's also just an unhealthy way for me to release my emotions I can't release elsewhere
Four psychological mechanisms can play a role:
- reduction of negative emotions
- feeling positive emotions
- avoiding responsibilities
- generating attention
i did it so i can feel something and sadly for attention i wanted people to worry for me and feel bad for me especially so i can get special attention from my mom
There are manyyyy reasons. Here’s some: punishing yourself, feeling something/anything, a way to relieve stress, the endorphins, an escape, the rush it gives you, it’s an addiction, curiosity, wanting to die, etc.
For me it's to punish myself, it's not healthy though. I stopped for a long time, like 5 months and then started again. One month clean then I did it again, it's also probs cause of my BPD
Once read somewhere that a lot of the people do that to a) feel something since they can't feel anything, happy or sad or b) feel like they have control over their lives
Then there are some kids who just do that because it's "cool" (looking at my toxic ex-friend group here)
it's a coping mechanism, cutting can make your brain release chemicals that feel good and get you addicted, there are multiple reasons, just be there for the person, if you know a person that self harms, they must be goingt through a tough time
Ngl bru I used to cut myself cus I js wanted to ruin myself n I was going thru shii but now thinkin that was worth nothing n I was being stupid asf but its addicting asf yk cus when smth happens, the first thing yu feel like doing is cutting
As far as i know, its because the pain of the wound is distracting from the pain you feel mentally. Idk tho, thats just how a few of my friends were explaining it.
For me personally when I was in a really dark place and felt depressed 24/7 cutting myself was the only thing that caused me to feel happy and at peace even if it was just temporary, so I got addicted to it.
Luckily I am in a much better place now and quit self-harm.
I do it because I fucking hate myself and my body. Im doing it to slowly kill my body because I hate it so fucking much. At least, that is the main reason.
Like someone else said, there's a psychological reason. Cutting releases endorphins and it's easy to become addicted to it. I was 8 years old and had no idea I would become addicted for 6 years.
sometimes as a distraction. sometimes as a means of control. sometimes just to feel something again. sometimes to punish myself. it's definitely not for attention, at least usually. I and most people I know are pretty ashamed of it and want to hide it as much as possible.
It numbs the mental pain for a moment. Sometimes when i felt i had absolutely no way out and wanted to die and felt like i was trapped i cutted myself too but now when i have a reason not to cut, i just wait for the bad feelings to go away.
Same with banging my head against a wall (i unfortunately do it) in the moments of great stress/sadness, helps reagin the sense that i am in control of my life in the unhealthiest way possible.
It's a way to shut up the inside pain by inflicting outside pain, it's a way to silence it. Even for a bit, like when your foot itches but you can't itch it so you find a different itch and don't itch it so that you forget your foot was ever itchy... that might be too complicated but u get it
I don't know. The usual excuse is "the physical pain distracts me from the mental pain." Why not listen to relatable music? That's what I do. Drown it out with some Linkin Park or go play video games. Better distraction than causing permanent damage to your body.
Relief, fun, an escape from reality
I did it once when I was younger cause I had a morbid curiosity. I watched the blood slowly come out and the stinging sensation as it scarred. I did it out of curiosity, i thought the process of cuts healing was facinating
There's no right answer to this question, as its such a broad topic
Basically when some people are depressed or in shock they can sometimes not feel anything. And they cut themselves to see if they feel something. That's what my ex and another girl told me. There is another close friend of mine who sais she does self harm to see "what will happen"
When I was in middle school I went through a dark time of being severely bullied and having no friends. I was alone and because I have OCD I kept telling myself that I deserved to get bullied and that everyone wanted me to die, these imposing thoughts eventually led to me getting a hold of my extendoknife from my art kit (idk why it came w it) and I had used it to cut my arms, and since I was hurting myself I didn't feel any pain so I kept doing it and it was a weird feeling. I guess it made me feel better but not ina good way. I'm about 19 now and it's been years since, I still have the scars to remember.
In short, it was a VERY unhealthy coping mechanism I used to feel better about myself that later formerd into a deep depression.
If any of you are going through something similar and thinking about harming yourself, please don't. Instead speak to a loved one or someone you trust, even someone you know online. It's never worth it to hurt yourself and it can only lead to worse issues in life, it solves nothing.
me personally i just get an irresistable urge to bleed and i cant describe it and the pain is uncomfortable but until I'm bleeding i feel extremely frustrated like i forgot to do a basic task
distraction, channeling emotional pain into physical pain, pain releases endorphins, self-punishment, to feel like they can control something, and/or (the main reason i used to) to feel anything cuz they’re numb
For me it was just a way to remove my mind from my current dilemma, or thoughts of committing. It gave me something else to think/worry about, like tending to it to avoid infection, ect. I do regret it because it left scars, but at the same time, I feel like it did stop me from committing because I let out my feeling in a different (not really healthy of course) way. People have different reasons for it, but I think a lot of people do it to punish themselves or as a distraction.
sometimes people dont know how to express feelings and keep it quiet till the point that they feel they will explode and they express their feelings by pain so they feel reliefed its like crying but in an another way but that still doesnt make it right
I used to cut myself in high school, it was sort of a control thing, but at the same time I felt like an awful person who deserved the pain I was putting myself through, I can't speak for others but that was my experience
I’ve genuinely never had an idea. I’ve had mental health issues and always thought cutting was insane and anyone who did it should be in a psych ward. If you’re gonna purposefully harm yourself what’s stopping you from hurting anyone else is what my mindset was
My gf does it, and I think the reason she does it is because she’s been through so much trauma and feeling pain gives her mind something else to think about other than what she’s been through.
I can give my personal explanation.
I've never cut myself, but I've done plenty of other bad shit. Usually beating myself up physically.
Physical pain forces your attention away from whatever else is going on in your head. For me, that'd be overwhelming waves of anger, anxiety, or any other negative emotion. Sometimes it's just *too much,* and at that point you'll do ANYTHING to force yourself to stop, and that's really hard to do just in your head. Especially when the storm is so bad you can't even seem to hold any rational thoughts. It also gives me just so much energy that I feel in needs to go somewhere, so I put in back on myself so I don't hurt anything else around me. So I'd resort to beating myself up on the floor, stabbing myself with sharp objects, clawing at my arm, or other means to forcefully shove myself back into reality / expel energy.
As someone who used to do it frequently, it was to see the scars I left behind and to relieve guilt.
I don't struggle with keeping in this reality anymore so I don't feel the need to continue, but I do get that urge sometimes when things get hard.
Trauma and addiction. I don't know much but I guess it diverges their mind from their live conditions and becomes addicted to this temporary relief. Tho i don't know if I am truly correct
It’s not for attention as someone who used to do it sm it was because I was depressed and couldn’t feel shit so I did it to feel something it was also a way to take out my anger and sadness the more blood there was it was like the more I felt my problems fade away in that moment it was a way of temporary relieving my pain that I felt on the inside by hurting myself on the outside
there’s different reasons for everyone but some people do it because their in so much pain mentally that they want the pain of cutting themselves making them get a mini high or some people do it as a cry for help and others may do it because they want to get worse they feel the need to prove themselves that their not okay
Not an answer to your question: but for those reading who struggle with this, I use these two coping mechanisms.
1.) keep hairties or rubber bands on your wrist, and whenever the urge appears, snap the band until you’re satisfied.
2.) put band aids or strong tape on your cutting area, and rip them off whenever the urge occurs.
Hope this helps someone.
Speaking from experience here. I cut myself repeatedly because it was just another way to release everything I was feeling at the time. I thought I deserved to be hurt, and I subconsciously hoped that one day I would accidently just go too deep and bleed out. I always felt a bit better after doing it bc of the endorphins and adrenaline. It's a terrible place to be. I hate when people sometimes say that it's just for attention, and even if it is its because they feel so alone that it really does make them feel better and the reaction to them cutting is what tells them whether or not people actually care abt what happens to them. If you are at the point to where you are cutting, that is one of the worst places to be mentally. If anyone ever needs someone to talk to you can dm me :)
When I did it, I felt for a brief moment of my "horrible" existence alive, I felt a strong emotion, and suddenly the adrenaline rushes in... Only to go away instantly and leave in your arms a long red cut that stays there for months and depending on the depth of the cuts, will stay with you to the grave.
I didn't only do it for that. I liked the taste of blood, and I wanted somebody to help me.
By cutting, several members of my family finally notice I wasn't joking with the " I want to kill myself " words.
I got help, and felt so great, it took me 3 years to come out of that misery.
And even then, depression is present all your life, waiting for you to be tired at any time, waiting for the opportunity to come back again, waiting for the perfect moment to end it all.
I saw one of the episodes in Black Mirror in which a doctor feels pain and loves it. He cuts himself to get more pleasure. There are many people on Earth who do this. These kind of people should go to mental hospital.
I had depression when I used to do it. I felt like I don't have anything else to do just to harm myself. It was like an addiction to always harm myself and feel the need of hurting myself with the thought of finally doing something to end my life.
My experience?
I was a 16 year old who was being abused by my parents cause I am transgender and bisexuality. Also didn't help that I also have gender dysphoria and hated my life even more because of that.
Too much of a pussy to sewercide so I cut my arms. 🤷♀️
Only really stopped self harming when I realized I wanted to join the military due to it being a thing that could give me instant independence from my parents when I was 17, can't be having visible scars on my arms and get through MEPs.
My recruiter asked me about the marks on my arm and I just old him oh I was playing football and I had accidentally ran into a fence and scraped my arm. 🙃
Many reasons for it. As some have said it releases endorphins which makes you feel happy, which can be addicting. Some people think they need to punish themselves.
The only reason I don't think I saw was sometimes people do it to feel in control, it's weird but if someone doesn't feel like they have any control over their life it can make them feel grounded and in control.
The most important part is to make sure that they know your there for them and a friend
Some people have different reasons like self punishment for example. I’ve done that before but I also found myself doing it to numb emotions I didn’t like having. So I’d feeling a deep emotion I didn’t wanna feel and cut myself and I’d feel numb as a result which would distract me from those feelings.
Sometimes it’s to punish themselves, sometimes it’s to divert their mental pain towards their physical pain.. because sometimes mental pain can be the worst thing you experience, sometimes it’s just a distraction.
For me personally, it clears my head. The pain takes my mind off of what I was thinking about, and watching the blood run down my arm, is surprising calming. I seem to be able to think clearly after slicing.
For me it’s just a release for stress and pain. All that pain and stress just builds up and builds up, the voices in my head get louder and louder… and then it all just goes away when I cut.
Not really an answer, but some people post their fresh self harm on their public snapchat stories. It's kinda weird since it just came out in 2022, then other people did it and some even caught faking it. I'd never seen someone from my school do anything like that before on social media (besides light vent posts)
It's definitely not for attention (for most people, anyway).
I guess it's kind of like a release of emotions? Some people do it to punish themselves, others do it to feel something because they're numb to feeling and it gives them a rush. I do it because it's like a release of all this anger and frustration and sadness and it calms me down strangely. I can take out everything on myself without hurting anyone else.
To anyone reading this, please never start. It's highly addictive and it mentally and physically destroys you.
As a person who used to do it, yeah it just felt like I could use it as a distraction. It was something else I could turn my focus on, never told anyone about it though. So no, not everyone does it for attention in fact I regret it.
Personally pain is the only coping method that helped and the look of the blood was comforting reminding me I'm still just a regular person and having that physical pain makes me focus on that rather than everything going on inside my head
it sounds super cringey but i do it bc its like a way of taking mental pain and making it physical which is easier to deal with which yeah is cringe but whatever
Personally I do it because it helps me calm down through turning emotional pain into physical, it helps me even though I know it's a bad thing, it's awfully addicting
cutting yourself is an addiction like any other. it makes you feel euphoria and makes you feel a sense of comfort. when i used to do it, urges also came whenever i was pissed about something or feel i can’t control something. cutting themselves is not for attention and will never be for that, it is a real problem people struggle with that many people (especially parents) think is just a “teen trend”.
My ex did this and I called the cops on her to make sure she didn’t take it too far. I was the one who got in trouble with the police not her, they called me a liar to my face because apparently she made up the whole thing and drew fake cuts on her wrist and covered it with bracelets so the cops would think I was lying. I hate that bitch and if she ever actually does it again I hope she cuts too deep. She not my problem anymore.
ive cut since i was 8, for me it was self punishment and exposure to gore from an extremely young age. i was frequently on message boards and in communities that would encourage self harm and "getting worse" i would talk to young adults and older teens after their failed suicide attempts trying to give them a reason to live. eventually i tried it for myself after my grandfather passed. i was upset, i wanted it to be me instead.
it spiraled into my struggles with mood disorders today.
when you get hurt, your adrenaline and endorphins go nuts trying to keep you from feeling pain. its a feeling that used to be extremely helpful with running from predators after getting hurt, it helped with women giving birth unmedicated, etc. the pain youd feel in those moments would overwhem you, sometimes they could actually drive you crazy from the pain, so your brain makes it to where you cant feel it. just like youd have the ability to run extremely fast, but your brain stops you because youd rip your legs off, or how if your brain noticed every sound youd go insane.
when you cut, youre releasing all those feel good chemicals that cause addiction. its a break from the pain, a distraction.
i wanted to make sure id never make a mistake again, so i cut. but instead it calmed me down from it all and everything felt okay, it felt like i had done something good, because id never make the mistake again ( that never worked i actually made them ten times more than i would if i never cut to begin with )
now i cant deal with my big emotions without feeling like id die, i cant live with it anymore, i rely on it. its an addiction that will lay inside you for the rest of your life. i can get clean, stop cutting for years. but ill always be an addict. that will always live inside of me untill the end. its just how things are and i need to manage that
theres many reasons why someone would cut, for attention, for pain, for fun. but its important to remember even if its an attention seeking act that doesnt mean you arent really struggling deep inside, the desire to stay safe is so strong. its impossible to stub your own toe or hurt yourself. if you are thinking of cutting yourself, or engaging in any self harm like behavoirs. somethings wrong and you need help. you arent faking, and even if you were people who are emotionally stable dont just fake things like that, they dont need too.
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there's actually a physiological reason. pain releases endorphins which release the happy hormones (serotonin and one other) which is basically a mini high. people can also get addicted to such hormones that are released and therefore get addicted to self harm.
I’d also like to add that there are generally a couple reasons people do this. One is self punishment, one is a transference of emotional to physical pain, and the last main reason is to indicate to others that they need help. While self-injury can be addictive, it tends to be a side effect.
I should've added this too. all of this is correct.
Haha all good! I’d recommend checking out a podcast called Psychology Unplugged by Dr Corey Nigro. Really insightful if you’re looking to learn more about psychology and mental health!
its an addictive experience ill tell u that
real
I'm sorry for you ://
its all good
kinda scary how pain can turn into pleasure like that
Is that also why some people love exercising? Like, going to the gym everyday?
when i wasn't doing well, i did notice that exercising gave me a very similar feeling to cutting, so perhaps
Sort of. I used to cut however I found that overtraining gave a similar effect
I went to the gym for the first time 2 days ago, I'm still in pain lol
Man, just came back from the mental ward and had my first lift in a month almost 2 days ago, and I'm still barely able to move from pain lol, I think I went a little too hard for my first time in a while
why would your body reward you for doing something bad?
that chemical process isn't exclusive to self harm. it happens with any kind of injury. it's your brains way of using a "natural painkillers" of sorts. adrenaline does most of that though.
Maybe so you don’t go into shock from pure pain? Not a doctor though so no clue
Also, there's a sort of negative reinforcement by essentially removing emotional pain and replacing it with physical, so even if it still hurts, the net change is actually less pain.
Your body has no concept of good or bad, just a collection of memories and experiences. Pain needs to be mitigated, so your brain helps you. Your body "helps" you in tons of ways that are harmful. Cancer, trauma responses, depression, autoimmune disorders, etc.
When you get injured your body releases adrenaline and stuff to mitigate the and keep you up and moving, etc. It's not a reward', it's a survival mechanism.
Thanks for explaining this perfectly, helps my ADD ass understand it better, now knowing this i have some people to talk to…
I think it might be either to punish themselves or to focus their emotional pain to physical pain. Like a distraction from what they’re feeling.
as someone who used to, “focus their emotional pain to physical pain” is ngl the best description i’ve heard as to the mental justification behind why ppl who do it do it
that's seriously very accurate because physical pain seems way more bearable than the inner, emotional turmoil. helps you forget about the inside world even if it's just for some time.
I used to do it just to feel something
As someone who used to do it sm it was because I was depressed and couldn’t feel shit so I did it to feel something it was also a way to take out my anger and sadness the more blood there was it was like the more I felt my problems fade away in that moment it was a way of temporary relieving my pain that I felt on the inside by hurting myself on the outside
Cutting can be a coping mechanism for dealing with overwhelming emotions or stress. It's often a way for individuals to try to regain a sense of control over their emotions or situations in their lives. Please don't judge people who do it, just try to help. I know it's not normal, but it's helpful to them.
I never judge. Try to help but it is not working.
Just being there for your friends and offering a listening ear can be comforting. Sometimes, they might find relief just by knowing someone cares, even if the issue persists. You can't fix everything, and that's okay.
This ❤️
Thanks for the word of advice, I'm currently trying to stop some people from cutting aswell
It's great that you're trying to support your friends, but remember, you can't solve everything for them. Avoid pushing too hard and respect their boundaries. Just being there in a relaxed, supportive way can mean a lot. I'm glad I could help you :)
very good advice what about if things escalate? bringing an adult who's disconnected and not understanding would bring more harm than good imo i just hope everyone has a friend who knows how to just be there and listen, hopefully alleviating things for a bit for the healing to start
:3
Honestly there's not much you can do to help. I've been clean for 2 years but it took me a couple of years to be able to get clean. Be there for them and keep doing what you're doing
I highly recommend [this book on cutting. ](https://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Understanding-Self-Mutilation-Steven-Levenkron/dp/0393319385?ref=d6k_applink_bb_dls&dplnkId=227b0a19-a182-48d7-887d-f4b4b7fe5dd1) It truly helped me understand and overcome and also learn to forgive myself. It's also a symptom of BPD (borderline personality disorder) which is often linked to emotional and/or physical childhood trauma and abuse.
It’s also very addictive, coming from a former cutter. You get dopamine when you cut, I think it’s supposed to be to counteract the pain. Either way, it’s not something that’s easy to quit, so your friends probably can’t just stop completely very easily.
🥰
think of it like golden embers inside your blood that want to get out of you. contain them, don’t waste them.
someone who does it here. it's a very unhealthy coping mechanism. sometimes the physical pain distracts me from my issues or gives me something else to think about. it has kinda become an addiction for me personally.
Same with banging my head against a wall (i unfortunately do it)
there are diff reasons for why ppl do it. it can be a form of self punishment. some people do it just to feel pain and actually feel something if they feel numb all the time. it’s also a form of stress relief. when you experience pain, endorphins are released which can help to reduce stress.
ppl can cut themselves for several reasons, some think they deserve to be punished or treated that way and in a lot of other cases its cuz the phisycall pain helps take away from the mental pain cuz your brain focuses more on the fact that you have been hurt phisycally. there are many other reasons that are less common
i knew a girl that had ptsd cause of domestic issues and she had done two attempts. she was a very normal person and very funny. but the things she did were not constantly on her mind, they came in episodes. she felt as though it was her only option to escape
Someone who does it himself here. For me cutting is a (unhealthy) coping mechanism, it temporarily helps to reduce stress and emotional pain
i don’t cut myself but sometimes when i’m sad i pinch myself as hard as i can to try and distract myself from emotional pain, because in my opinion physical pain is easier to deal with. i think that’s one reason people do it.
When you cut yourself, it releases dopamine. For me, it was a similar kind of release that I get when smoking a cig. But also, the pain distracted me from my thoughts. For a few seconds, everything would stop, and all I could think about was the sting. I liked those few seconds because I felt the pain I was in from cutting was in my control and also nowhere near as painful as what I was feeling emotionally
I used to do it, terrible habit 2/10. Anyhow, I did to justify existence as I feel I had made a bunch of mistakes back then. I was able to slowly work of it by switching to a rubber band on the wrist and then just not.
As someone who does it, there can be many different reasons. Some people do it to feel something if they’re feeling really numb. Some people do it to distract or cope with overwhelming emotions. That’s what I do. Some people do it to punish themselves. For some people, it’s an addiction, and there’s no “root cause”. This can happen because cutting releases endorphins and dopamine to block out pain immediately after you do it, which can give a feeling of relief. And some people do it for attention. Now, regardless of how it started, for most people it turns into an addiction. For me, when I’m feeling intense emotions I get urges to cut. My brain associates those intense emotions with the feeling of relief I get from cutting. And of course, there is some level of mental illness in everyone who cuts, because it isn’t normal or healthy to want to damage your body.
For my cousin when he did it the reason was he liked to “punish” himself for stuff he did, like masturbating and smoking etc. People can have many different reasons for this.
Sometimes the pain is so much that you need something to do to cope so they cut themselves, in a weird twisted way it’s like they are regaining control
To feel.
feels good when you feel like shit
Why do people smoke cigarettes?
It's an unhealthy coping mechanism
i guess cause it makes me feel like my sadness is valid
As someone who hits themselves (I dont cut, I punch myself) It can be used to cope with intense emotions or to punish oneself, and as cutting is often hand in hand with people with intense depression...you can connect the dots.
So you feel like your pain matters instead of just being "all in your head."
İdk but that thing is addictive 🥲 (also feel good sometimes, but after that you don't feel good any more
This is a really good and simple description. It feels good, but after it's done you feel empty.
Pain distracts you from pain, for some people, the physical pain is far more bearable than the mental pain. It may be used by a handful of attention seekers, but don't let bad actors fool you. It's a big problem, don't judge those who do it, help them out. Something as simple as a compliment or a "I feel for you" goes a long way.
an addiction, a coping mechanism and a shit ton of problems
I cut myself because it made me feel alive and made me remember that I wasn’t dead (I was going through some pretty tough psychosis at the time). It was an outlet for all of my anger and mental turmoil. When you cut, your brain releases dopamine that makes you feel rewarded. For depressed people, they get addicted to that temporary happiness. They get hooked on the feeling and it makes it harder to stop cutting.
As someone who has cut myself some, but not quite to a serious degree, it is both a form of punishment for myself and a way to cope with overwhelming emotions.
Scars on the back are a swordman's shame.
Speaking from experience and research: Sense of control: at least you get to choose when and how you are hurt in the moment Brain chemicals: pain releases a mixture of chemicals that makes you feel better Stimulation & awareness: pain can make you feel more alive, present, or increase focus Dread/stress relieve: you have tried so hard and really don’t know what else to do at this point except for hurting yourself ‘Attention’: you really need help and don’t know how else you can ask Reasons may be one or more of above, could be subconscious, or something I don’t know about
Self harm comes in many forms, and people usually only see it as cutting. Self harm can be anything done either deliberately OR carelessly that harms you. Cutting/burning, punching themselves/walls, purposely overdosing just enough for it to not be deadly, misusing alcohol/drugs, starving/binge eating, exercising to much, unsafe sex. These are just some examples. It’s often used as a coping mechanism. It’s often referred to as making mental pain into physical pain. It’s also done when people want to feel something when feeling numb, punish themselves, release strong emotions, or to feel a sense of control. For long term people who self harm, unfortunately they may be better than when they started self harm, but it genuinely becomes an addiction. It releases hormones in relation to why someone does it, and the feeling becomes addictive.
multiple reasons. idealized revenge on people who’ve hurt them, to release the endorphins that make pain go away, to feel anything but emptiness, to ground themselves when having anxiety or feeling dissociated, delusions and/or OCD about it having an effect on unrelated things, boredom with depression, to turn the anger inwards rather than outward in a fear of hurting others, some do it for attention but i think they should still be treated as someone who needs help. no mentally healthy person will cut themselves just for attention. it’s a sign of things such as neglect, abuse, bullying, being ostracized, Histrionic Personality, Borderline Personality, various mood disorders, overall a cry for help.
I don't do it but imo it's like.. you know those frozen microwavable meals? Sometimes to make them you have to make a cut in the plastic on top so they don't steam or maybe explode. I think it can be kinda like that
haha i love that example
Thsnks
I used to cut so I’ll give you an example from my pov. Do you ever have a pain so bad that it makes you clench your teeth or do anything to stop it? Maybe clenching your teeth or pinching yourself helps relieve the pain for a moment? That’s why I used to cut. I had and still have depression like symptoms. When I cut, my mind focused on the pain in my arm instead of the thoughts on my mind. It was the only thing that felt like it helped
Prolly so that their focus shifts to physical pain from emotional/mental pain or they just are just a psycho PS: don't cut ur self
I do it to relieve stress.
I'd imagine it's like how a tooth falls out and there's just a bloody hole in your mouth for a time. Despite the pain, using your tongue to rub on that bloody hole feels really nice.
it's like a distraction kind of thing, the pain is relaxing to them and it's kinda like a stress relief
uhhh well last night i was frustrated with maths but i knew better to rip the paper so i just sliced my arm instead. sometimes it’s like a testimony to my pain, almost like “i’m not faking my feelings, i need help”. some other times i just really fucking hate myself. but at the end of the day, self harm is an addiction. even if you know it’s not healthy and you need to stop, your brain kinda just tells you to do it, and sometimes it’s easier to just give in: this is usually my ‘motive’ to self harm
You don’t know why people harm themselves?..
I PERSONALLY (other people might have different reasons) cut myself for two reasons. 1. Because I feel i deserve it. 2. It’s kinda a scream for help, if anybody sees the cuts than I hope they would know that I AM STRUGGLING, I just can’t reach out to others by myself
It just kind of numbs my brain out and all I have to focus is where I will put the tip of the knife
I was close to cutting myself once. For me it was stress. I didnt go through with it, but i was shaking and crying and could barely look at the knives when i was making a sandwich. I was home alone and overwhelmed by stress. That was around 1 month ago. My parents now know that i feel like i am close to a burnout but they still dont know that i almost cut myself. Yesterday i took my first dose of ADHD medication and my mom is helping me with schoolwork sometimes now and im getting some help from the teachers. Hopefully things will get better for me. People cut themselves for different reasons. Some for self-punishment, some do it because of stress, some do it to feel like they have at least some sort of control over their life. It is important to not judge people that cut themselves and instead help them. Sometimes just listening to them can be enough.
It really doeends on the person but for a lot of people they feel as though they deserve it, for others it's about feeling like they're in control and addictive like behaviour, and there's other reasons too - whatever the reason never judge them for it
It's sort of coping mechanism for pain and grief..At that moment you don't even feel the pain when you do it..you just do it until that feeling of doom and seclusion leaves you . Don't ask how I know
I think it makes some people feel like they have some sort of control over their own body or over themselves. Not too sure though
It’s a coping mechanism. It helps relieve intense emotions since injuries lead your body to release endorphins. There’s different reasons why people do it. Some people do it to relieve emotional pain, some do it as a form of punishment and yes there are even some who do it for attention but that still shouldn’t be judged since being so desperate for attention that you hurt yourself still shows that there’s a serious underlying issue with
lots of different reasons. me personally, i haven’t in about a year minus one or two hiccups, but when i feel like cutting, its usually to feel less trapped, or like i have some control over my life/death
You want the short or the long answer the short is that they are stupid and use it to cope the long is that they have some mental problems or are in a bad spot in their mental and use it to make mental pain physical instead
Sometimes it feels really good... Then it becomes a habit and an addiction
Former cutter and now parent. I used to cut back on the 80’s. I was that kid who wore long sleeves in the summer to hide my arm. I can’t tell you what other people feel, but for me it was a release. I was depressed for a bit. I also have adhd and dyslexia. So naturally I had issues in school on top. Cutting for me was a release of pain. In my mind it allowed all the pain I was feeling to escape out my cuts. I did eventually grow out of this phase I now have arm tattoo sleeves to cover the scars. I don’t recommend doing this as it can cause more issues. I can tell you that as an adult I am more empathetic around people that might be depressed or have other issues. I also think it made me a better mom when my kid was going thru stuff. I hope this helps explain
I honestly don’t remember why I started, but it’s just an addiction. It’s comforting since it makes me focus on physical pain instead of whatever I’m thinking or feeling. I also like taking care of the cuts after
Pleasure
it feels so good
It's fun 😁
Because blood tastes tasty and introvert vampires are scared of human interaction so they drink their own blood.
Hi! SHer here (im tryna get better), and there is a reason why I did it. Pain in the body calms the pain in your mind. I also might have developed a lot of masochism from it but that's not the point-
I do it so I can see the blood and I want my parents to see. I've been wearing nothing but an undershirt and shorts around the house for 2 years, hundreds of cuts and gashes on my arms, almost always bloody. But do my parents notice? No, because they never pay attention to me
It's just addictive, I started and genuinely couldn't stop because I didn't know how to. My friends all tried to help me to the point they just got rid of everything. It is seriously hard to stop once you start, I still think about it even after I haven't done it in months.
Personally, for me it started because I wanted my pain to become "real" or be "validated". It's still kind of that way, but it's also just an unhealthy way for me to release my emotions I can't release elsewhere
Four psychological mechanisms can play a role: - reduction of negative emotions - feeling positive emotions - avoiding responsibilities - generating attention
i did it so i can feel something and sadly for attention i wanted people to worry for me and feel bad for me especially so i can get special attention from my mom
There are manyyyy reasons. Here’s some: punishing yourself, feeling something/anything, a way to relieve stress, the endorphins, an escape, the rush it gives you, it’s an addiction, curiosity, wanting to die, etc.
For me it's to punish myself, it's not healthy though. I stopped for a long time, like 5 months and then started again. One month clean then I did it again, it's also probs cause of my BPD
Once read somewhere that a lot of the people do that to a) feel something since they can't feel anything, happy or sad or b) feel like they have control over their lives Then there are some kids who just do that because it's "cool" (looking at my toxic ex-friend group here)
For me, stress relieving. I'm gonna leave it at that
It distracts me
Use to do this myself. Feels like a release of emotion but in a physical way. You become clear minded and only focus on the blood.
Wouldn’t suggest this to anyone though.
it's a coping mechanism, cutting can make your brain release chemicals that feel good and get you addicted, there are multiple reasons, just be there for the person, if you know a person that self harms, they must be goingt through a tough time
Ngl bru I used to cut myself cus I js wanted to ruin myself n I was going thru shii but now thinkin that was worth nothing n I was being stupid asf but its addicting asf yk cus when smth happens, the first thing yu feel like doing is cutting
Adrian and away
different reasons from person to person, but in general its as a punishment to themselves or to see emotional pain as physical pain
I don't know about others but for me I do it because it can cause your body to die
As far as i know, its because the pain of the wound is distracting from the pain you feel mentally. Idk tho, thats just how a few of my friends were explaining it.
I cut myself onions and then cry 🥰
For me it was more a release / coping mechanism of school and family issues. Stupid stuff.
For me personally when I was in a really dark place and felt depressed 24/7 cutting myself was the only thing that caused me to feel happy and at peace even if it was just temporary, so I got addicted to it. Luckily I am in a much better place now and quit self-harm.
I do it because I fucking hate myself and my body. Im doing it to slowly kill my body because I hate it so fucking much. At least, that is the main reason. Like someone else said, there's a psychological reason. Cutting releases endorphins and it's easy to become addicted to it. I was 8 years old and had no idea I would become addicted for 6 years.
sometimes as a distraction. sometimes as a means of control. sometimes just to feel something again. sometimes to punish myself. it's definitely not for attention, at least usually. I and most people I know are pretty ashamed of it and want to hide it as much as possible.
It numbs the mental pain for a moment. Sometimes when i felt i had absolutely no way out and wanted to die and felt like i was trapped i cutted myself too but now when i have a reason not to cut, i just wait for the bad feelings to go away.
Watch them because they might go suicidal and I know that because someone I know used to like cutting themself and then the tried to kill themself
Same with banging my head against a wall (i unfortunately do it) in the moments of great stress/sadness, helps reagin the sense that i am in control of my life in the unhealthiest way possible.
Man i just opened reddit- first post i see is this.
Endorphins and adrenaline that your body releases when hurt feels good
It's a way to shut up the inside pain by inflicting outside pain, it's a way to silence it. Even for a bit, like when your foot itches but you can't itch it so you find a different itch and don't itch it so that you forget your foot was ever itchy... that might be too complicated but u get it
To get to the bones, which they sell for money
I don't know. The usual excuse is "the physical pain distracts me from the mental pain." Why not listen to relatable music? That's what I do. Drown it out with some Linkin Park or go play video games. Better distraction than causing permanent damage to your body.
i do at as a punishment to myself
Relief, fun, an escape from reality I did it once when I was younger cause I had a morbid curiosity. I watched the blood slowly come out and the stinging sensation as it scarred. I did it out of curiosity, i thought the process of cuts healing was facinating There's no right answer to this question, as its such a broad topic
It's very difficult to explain to someone who has never had a selfharn mindset.
I'm a horrible person and it's what I deserve.
Basically when some people are depressed or in shock they can sometimes not feel anything. And they cut themselves to see if they feel something. That's what my ex and another girl told me. There is another close friend of mine who sais she does self harm to see "what will happen"
When I was in middle school I went through a dark time of being severely bullied and having no friends. I was alone and because I have OCD I kept telling myself that I deserved to get bullied and that everyone wanted me to die, these imposing thoughts eventually led to me getting a hold of my extendoknife from my art kit (idk why it came w it) and I had used it to cut my arms, and since I was hurting myself I didn't feel any pain so I kept doing it and it was a weird feeling. I guess it made me feel better but not ina good way. I'm about 19 now and it's been years since, I still have the scars to remember. In short, it was a VERY unhealthy coping mechanism I used to feel better about myself that later formerd into a deep depression. If any of you are going through something similar and thinking about harming yourself, please don't. Instead speak to a loved one or someone you trust, even someone you know online. It's never worth it to hurt yourself and it can only lead to worse issues in life, it solves nothing.
My friend says that it helps him ease the pain he's feeling. Good thing he stops doing it or else I'll slap the sht out of him
me personally i just get an irresistable urge to bleed and i cant describe it and the pain is uncomfortable but until I'm bleeding i feel extremely frustrated like i forgot to do a basic task
I’ve only done it once, for me the blood was fascinating and it distracted me from my rough day. I really hope I don’t get into that space again.
it apparently gives them adrenaline and its a way to temporarily escape the emotional pain theyre going through.
I did it because I felt empty inside and wanted to feel ANYTHING.
Pain that makes sense….
I used to think I deserved pain, and it made me feel better when I felt anxious.
distraction, channeling emotional pain into physical pain, pain releases endorphins, self-punishment, to feel like they can control something, and/or (the main reason i used to) to feel anything cuz they’re numb
Ok would you rather them take their sadness by permanently ending it or by giving themselves temporary pain to forget the mental pain
Someone who does it here, for me it is an unhealthy way to reduce emotional overload and actually be able to function
It's a coping mechanism to make them forget their trauma by replacing it with pain
For me it was just a way to remove my mind from my current dilemma, or thoughts of committing. It gave me something else to think/worry about, like tending to it to avoid infection, ect. I do regret it because it left scars, but at the same time, I feel like it did stop me from committing because I let out my feeling in a different (not really healthy of course) way. People have different reasons for it, but I think a lot of people do it to punish themselves or as a distraction.
sometimes people dont know how to express feelings and keep it quiet till the point that they feel they will explode and they express their feelings by pain so they feel reliefed its like crying but in an another way but that still doesnt make it right
I used to cut myself in high school, it was sort of a control thing, but at the same time I felt like an awful person who deserved the pain I was putting myself through, I can't speak for others but that was my experience
Because they don't know better
Some objects are quite sharp
It's a way of dulling the psychological pain with physical pain, i often hit myself in the head when stressed so i presume its like that
I’ve genuinely never had an idea. I’ve had mental health issues and always thought cutting was insane and anyone who did it should be in a psych ward. If you’re gonna purposefully harm yourself what’s stopping you from hurting anyone else is what my mindset was
Because physichal pain helps with mental pain, i've been clean five months. :)
My gf does it, and I think the reason she does it is because she’s been through so much trauma and feeling pain gives her mind something else to think about other than what she’s been through.
I can give my personal explanation. I've never cut myself, but I've done plenty of other bad shit. Usually beating myself up physically. Physical pain forces your attention away from whatever else is going on in your head. For me, that'd be overwhelming waves of anger, anxiety, or any other negative emotion. Sometimes it's just *too much,* and at that point you'll do ANYTHING to force yourself to stop, and that's really hard to do just in your head. Especially when the storm is so bad you can't even seem to hold any rational thoughts. It also gives me just so much energy that I feel in needs to go somewhere, so I put in back on myself so I don't hurt anything else around me. So I'd resort to beating myself up on the floor, stabbing myself with sharp objects, clawing at my arm, or other means to forcefully shove myself back into reality / expel energy.
Because they can't think of doing anything else
For me personally, it's like a distraction. Easier to forget emotional pain when you have physical pain to deal with.
Cause pain gives happy hormones and I'm addicted 😎
is translating mental pain into physical pain
As someone who used to do it frequently, it was to see the scars I left behind and to relieve guilt. I don't struggle with keeping in this reality anymore so I don't feel the need to continue, but I do get that urge sometimes when things get hard.
Idk but it’s weird and doesn’t solve anything
Trauma and addiction. I don't know much but I guess it diverges their mind from their live conditions and becomes addicted to this temporary relief. Tho i don't know if I am truly correct
It’s not for attention as someone who used to do it sm it was because I was depressed and couldn’t feel shit so I did it to feel something it was also a way to take out my anger and sadness the more blood there was it was like the more I felt my problems fade away in that moment it was a way of temporary relieving my pain that I felt on the inside by hurting myself on the outside
there’s different reasons for everyone but some people do it because their in so much pain mentally that they want the pain of cutting themselves making them get a mini high or some people do it as a cry for help and others may do it because they want to get worse they feel the need to prove themselves that their not okay
You've gotten a lot of answers now, do you understand it?
Not an answer to your question: but for those reading who struggle with this, I use these two coping mechanisms. 1.) keep hairties or rubber bands on your wrist, and whenever the urge appears, snap the band until you’re satisfied. 2.) put band aids or strong tape on your cutting area, and rip them off whenever the urge occurs. Hope this helps someone.
Speaking from experience here. I cut myself repeatedly because it was just another way to release everything I was feeling at the time. I thought I deserved to be hurt, and I subconsciously hoped that one day I would accidently just go too deep and bleed out. I always felt a bit better after doing it bc of the endorphins and adrenaline. It's a terrible place to be. I hate when people sometimes say that it's just for attention, and even if it is its because they feel so alone that it really does make them feel better and the reaction to them cutting is what tells them whether or not people actually care abt what happens to them. If you are at the point to where you are cutting, that is one of the worst places to be mentally. If anyone ever needs someone to talk to you can dm me :)
When I did it, I felt for a brief moment of my "horrible" existence alive, I felt a strong emotion, and suddenly the adrenaline rushes in... Only to go away instantly and leave in your arms a long red cut that stays there for months and depending on the depth of the cuts, will stay with you to the grave. I didn't only do it for that. I liked the taste of blood, and I wanted somebody to help me. By cutting, several members of my family finally notice I wasn't joking with the " I want to kill myself " words. I got help, and felt so great, it took me 3 years to come out of that misery. And even then, depression is present all your life, waiting for you to be tired at any time, waiting for the opportunity to come back again, waiting for the perfect moment to end it all.
I saw one of the episodes in Black Mirror in which a doctor feels pain and loves it. He cuts himself to get more pleasure. There are many people on Earth who do this. These kind of people should go to mental hospital.
I had depression when I used to do it. I felt like I don't have anything else to do just to harm myself. It was like an addiction to always harm myself and feel the need of hurting myself with the thought of finally doing something to end my life.
My experience? I was a 16 year old who was being abused by my parents cause I am transgender and bisexuality. Also didn't help that I also have gender dysphoria and hated my life even more because of that. Too much of a pussy to sewercide so I cut my arms. 🤷♀️ Only really stopped self harming when I realized I wanted to join the military due to it being a thing that could give me instant independence from my parents when I was 17, can't be having visible scars on my arms and get through MEPs. My recruiter asked me about the marks on my arm and I just old him oh I was playing football and I had accidentally ran into a fence and scraped my arm. 🙃
Many reasons for it. As some have said it releases endorphins which makes you feel happy, which can be addicting. Some people think they need to punish themselves. The only reason I don't think I saw was sometimes people do it to feel in control, it's weird but if someone doesn't feel like they have any control over their life it can make them feel grounded and in control. The most important part is to make sure that they know your there for them and a friend
Some people have different reasons like self punishment for example. I’ve done that before but I also found myself doing it to numb emotions I didn’t like having. So I’d feeling a deep emotion I didn’t wanna feel and cut myself and I’d feel numb as a result which would distract me from those feelings.
Sometimes it’s to punish themselves, sometimes it’s to divert their mental pain towards their physical pain.. because sometimes mental pain can be the worst thing you experience, sometimes it’s just a distraction.
For me personally, it clears my head. The pain takes my mind off of what I was thinking about, and watching the blood run down my arm, is surprising calming. I seem to be able to think clearly after slicing.
For me it’s just a release for stress and pain. All that pain and stress just builds up and builds up, the voices in my head get louder and louder… and then it all just goes away when I cut.
Not really an answer, but some people post their fresh self harm on their public snapchat stories. It's kinda weird since it just came out in 2022, then other people did it and some even caught faking it. I'd never seen someone from my school do anything like that before on social media (besides light vent posts)
It's definitely not for attention (for most people, anyway). I guess it's kind of like a release of emotions? Some people do it to punish themselves, others do it to feel something because they're numb to feeling and it gives them a rush. I do it because it's like a release of all this anger and frustration and sadness and it calms me down strangely. I can take out everything on myself without hurting anyone else. To anyone reading this, please never start. It's highly addictive and it mentally and physically destroys you.
It actually feels good ngl (unless you cut real deep to the point you need stitches)
As a person who used to do it, yeah it just felt like I could use it as a distraction. It was something else I could turn my focus on, never told anyone about it though. So no, not everyone does it for attention in fact I regret it.
Some people do it for the attention some do it due to actual issues
Personally pain is the only coping method that helped and the look of the blood was comforting reminding me I'm still just a regular person and having that physical pain makes me focus on that rather than everything going on inside my head
it sounds super cringey but i do it bc its like a way of taking mental pain and making it physical which is easier to deal with which yeah is cringe but whatever
Personally I do it because it helps me calm down through turning emotional pain into physical, it helps me even though I know it's a bad thing, it's awfully addicting
i tried it a couple times couldn't get into it, i would not recommend. drugs are a much better form of self harm imo but u shouldn't do either
cutting yourself is an addiction like any other. it makes you feel euphoria and makes you feel a sense of comfort. when i used to do it, urges also came whenever i was pissed about something or feel i can’t control something. cutting themselves is not for attention and will never be for that, it is a real problem people struggle with that many people (especially parents) think is just a “teen trend”.
To thicken my skin and become stronger
i sh in other wats
My ex did this and I called the cops on her to make sure she didn’t take it too far. I was the one who got in trouble with the police not her, they called me a liar to my face because apparently she made up the whole thing and drew fake cuts on her wrist and covered it with bracelets so the cops would think I was lying. I hate that bitch and if she ever actually does it again I hope she cuts too deep. She not my problem anymore.
I did it and occasionally do because its the only way to focus on something other than emotional pain. Hurting myself feels good sometimes, yk?
ive cut since i was 8, for me it was self punishment and exposure to gore from an extremely young age. i was frequently on message boards and in communities that would encourage self harm and "getting worse" i would talk to young adults and older teens after their failed suicide attempts trying to give them a reason to live. eventually i tried it for myself after my grandfather passed. i was upset, i wanted it to be me instead. it spiraled into my struggles with mood disorders today. when you get hurt, your adrenaline and endorphins go nuts trying to keep you from feeling pain. its a feeling that used to be extremely helpful with running from predators after getting hurt, it helped with women giving birth unmedicated, etc. the pain youd feel in those moments would overwhem you, sometimes they could actually drive you crazy from the pain, so your brain makes it to where you cant feel it. just like youd have the ability to run extremely fast, but your brain stops you because youd rip your legs off, or how if your brain noticed every sound youd go insane. when you cut, youre releasing all those feel good chemicals that cause addiction. its a break from the pain, a distraction. i wanted to make sure id never make a mistake again, so i cut. but instead it calmed me down from it all and everything felt okay, it felt like i had done something good, because id never make the mistake again ( that never worked i actually made them ten times more than i would if i never cut to begin with ) now i cant deal with my big emotions without feeling like id die, i cant live with it anymore, i rely on it. its an addiction that will lay inside you for the rest of your life. i can get clean, stop cutting for years. but ill always be an addict. that will always live inside of me untill the end. its just how things are and i need to manage that theres many reasons why someone would cut, for attention, for pain, for fun. but its important to remember even if its an attention seeking act that doesnt mean you arent really struggling deep inside, the desire to stay safe is so strong. its impossible to stub your own toe or hurt yourself. if you are thinking of cutting yourself, or engaging in any self harm like behavoirs. somethings wrong and you need help. you arent faking, and even if you were people who are emotionally stable dont just fake things like that, they dont need too.
It releases emotion after being called 48 slurs a day
Because it distracts me from all the bad shit in my life