Why do YOU think teens cut themselves?

i think they're doing it for the same reason that you, yourself did --- to get the attention that they need. it's a sad reality, indeed.

I used to do that but I've stopped. I alwasy found it hard to deal with my emotions and and I could'nt understand being upset tover something I could'nt see or touch. In a way the cutting the marks gave me something to link all the tears and anger to.

I cut myself when I was a teen because I was going through things... and to me, the physical pain from the cutting kind of helped to numb the emotional pain that I was feeling. The sad thing is that teens get so caught up in school and friends and cliques... and all the usual teen angst and what they really don't understand (and won't till they're older) is that none of this crap matters. You get out of school and you really don't talk to those people anymore. And there is so much more to life... When you are an adult the horrors you think you were experiencing as a teen seem pretty trivial.

i think that would be part of the reason, most teens who do cut themselves want attention because they need help. they probably have something going on in their life that hurts them emotionally, and physically hurting themselves takes away any type of pain temporarly.

teens nowdays do it for various reasons...some for attention/it's 'cool' and some because they are having trouble coping..I've been a Self Injurer since I was very young and I still am even now in my 30's (though its fairly under control these days) and it has nothign to do with attention its a means to cope...ppl dont understand that but they should be thankful they dont really..

I find it pretty harmless, myself. The biggest problem is everyone trying to "fix" the teen. A big reason to cut, other than the ability to join that elite club of those with self inflicted scars, is to exprience the endorphins that are released by the body. It is a stress relief mechanism. Teens have a lot of stress that has no where to go. The only caustions would be using a clean insturment, not sharing instruments, watching that depth, not being afriad to get help if need be...to stop bleeding. The more you react in horro to things kids do, the less likely you are to know what is going on with them, and the less likely the are to come to you for help. Save the "no no's" for the little kids....teach your teen to manage themselves just as they are. YOu will get alot futher.

I was a cutter from about 15-20. I think I did it for so long because no one ever said anything to me about it for several years. My family just ignored it which made it worse for me because it made me think that they cared even less than I originally thought. I finally met a guy that went out of his way to make sure I stopped. Thank goodness for him.

I am a sh/si. I think some do it for control reasons, some do it to hurt, and some do it for attention. I don't. I do it to focus and as a way of coping with emotions. I don't do it to hurt-hurt myself.

I have been harming myself since I was 8 years old. I have had things happen to me that weren't nice, so I have a lot of horrible emotions inside of me. I did it to try and release the bad feelings inside of me. It was like a coping mechanism. I used to imagine the blood as all the bad stuff coming out of me. I am 25 now, and I haven't self harmed in about 3 months.

I think it's definately due to pain. A lot of kids think causing themselves pain is a way to get rid of the mental anguish they are going through. I don't think a cutter is trying to kill themselves--just trying to hurt themselves. It's sad.

i dont understand

One of my best friends in highschool used to cut herself. I can't really say why because I couldn't imagine doing that to myself, but the whole time I couldn't help thinking that she was just doing it for attention. I read somewhere that these people cut themselves because it makes you think about the physical pain that you're causing yourself instead of whatever emotional pain you're feeling, or that it's about being in control. Like "I can't control the pain I'm feeling emotionally, but I can control the pain I'm feeling physically"

I think they cut themselves because it is a cry for help... there is no reason a normal happy kid would cut on themselves...its not cool. it is desparation. it is I need help its visual pain of a hurting soul. and if it isnt then some one start praying because they have an evil spirit that needs to be prayed out of them..

I have done this and the last cut I did to myself was 3 years ago. It was beacsue I am so hurt and mad at other people and I dont know how to tell them. It hurts so much inside and I want to stop it so I hurt my skin. The physical pain really relieves my inner pain.