why does she do this??

It's actually gotten very popular. I have several theories about it, but I'll try to avoid getting into that too much. The psychological cause is very simple actually. The person feels pain, yet has no way to release that pain ... so they cut. Somewhere in the cutting and bleeding, they can release the hurt they feel in a more physical and real way. When a person feels that kind of emotional pain, sometimes the only thing they can think of to do is match it in physical pain. At least then they can justify there's a reason for that pain to be there. This is a very real disorder with a very real need for help. These people need to seek psychiatric help to make them understand other, more effective ways to release their mental and emotional pain. Now, that aside .. it's also a trend that a lot of younger generations have caught onto and see as "cool". It makes them unique, it makes them stand out. And then it's an active choice someone is making, and along the same line as cries for attention. I equate it to a spoiled kid standing in the middle of the room screaming. There is a difference between the two types .. one needs help, the other group needs a wake up call.

Cutting.....is a result of self loathing. The person needs to feel pain in order for them to live with themselves. Something in thier background has convinced them they are totaly worthless and the it gets even worse from there. Many of us have a low self esteam but we do not take it to this extream. This goes way beyond reason. You taking her to the doctor served no purpose becasue until you fix the underlying cause of it she will continue to do this. I am no expert but I think your fear for her is justified. What she needs to do is come to the understanding that this is not normal and she needs to seek help. This is a mental defect that no medical doctor can fix. Until she brings out what makes her do this and faces it she will continue. And it can have disastorous results. If she is not helped it may get worse and instead of just doing it to get attention she may do herself in. I am sure you have looked this up on the web. Try the search term "cutting self mutilation". Many pages out there on this subject.

it may can be traeted and be cured seek the help of a good doctor

When people "cut" they dont do it to hurt themselves. They do it to say "look at me i'm hurting". It's scary I know. All you really can do is be there for her. I had never actually known anybody who "cuts" until my son dated this really sweet girl she was really quiet and always seemed sad. I got to know her pretty well and really liked her. My son came to me one day and told me she was cutting herself. I went to her and took her for a ride and talked to her. She said it made her feel better. I tried telling her it was scary and there were other ways to deal with depression and stress. She had a really hard life and really has a lot of issues. I told her she could always come to me no matter what. She still calls me to this day and its been four years. She hasnt "cut" in almost 8 months. She said having someone there who didnt judge her really made her feel alot better. She is really doing good for herself. I am proud of her. Every situation is different. Hope you can help your friend.

This is a from of depression and yes it is serious and people need to treat it like annerexseia and balemia and all the rest out there. they do it becuase they think they are bad and if they cut themselfs it will driane all the bad out of them and they do feel better after cutting themselfs but it will take there life sometime becuase of the vains that lay close to the body it could kill them ....they also think if they keep doing it it will kill them and who care anyway right well i know this is a desease and you need to help her and she is feeling bad about things and she letting it out by cutting so the best thing you can do is really take her to a place and just talk she will get mad and she will think it's some kind of intrapment but it's not and you have to make it fun and if things get to grim why she is depressed hang in there and let her know that cutting herself isn't they way to beat depression ...when a person is depress they need to go for lots of walks and rides and let them talk and listen be her friend and let her tell you anything she wants you can start talking and tell her stories of your life when you were younger or just yesterday and tell her how it made you feel let her do it to it will all come out in peices so you will have to keep up with it what she says because who is behind this and why she is cutting...and i bet you anything another depressed person dared her to do it that is where it first starts someone else has shown her and they told her all the reasons why they do ..so what you need to do is make her feel good about herself and get to the heart of how she is feeling and give all things to god he will help you to. god bless good luck!

i dont know...........

I have friends that used to do this when they were teenagers. They tell me they did this cutting thing to relieve stress. When ever something went wrong in their lives they would just take a razor blade and slice up their wrist.

I cannot understand why a person does this but I hear about it more and more. Someone the pain gives them the relief or attention they are seeking. I don't know - I don't what the answer is but I feel so sorry for anyone undergoing this condition and their family.

I have heard of it and you are right, it is a serious issue... the most you can do is offer help and support for her throughout her time that she is going through... also offer to help her find help and offer to go with her to talk to someone...

mabey admit to a rehabilitation center where she can be watched at all times,and also get the counseling needed,you can do this without her consent if she is a threat to herself or anyone else,look into the different acts in your state.

I think your friend is practicing a particular defense mechanism, but heck, I can't remember its name. Anyway, it is her outlet of expressing her depression.

i think you should bring her to a psychiatrist... that's a very dangerous thing for her to do.

Its more on psychological, If you want to help her personally, try to win her trust and talk to her always. She needs somebody she can lean on and a ready ear to understand her.

that hurts, when you cut yourself! I think she need a psychiatrist!

I myself am not a cutter although I have cut myself a few times. I also have friends that are or were cutters. Most of them have been in & out of mental hospitals serveral times. I was in a mental hospital once a couple of years ago when I freaked out for no real reason other than I had gotten into a fihgt with by boyfriend about how to cook potatoes. He called me a name & it triggered a flood of memories, all bad, from our relationship & everything that he'd ever done mean to me. I calmly stood up, went to the kitchen, grabbed the first knife I saw, which was a long serrated bread knife & calmly sliced open my arm about halfway between my wrist & elbow. I don't really recall everything about the incident because I had an out of body experience that went along with it, so I was more of less floatig above myself watching me do this. I was not trying to kill myself & I wasn't doing it for the "attention" I was trying to get the pain out. it's as simple as that. Maybe your friend needs to be on meds for her depression, if not then maybe she needs to spend some time in a mental insitution.

http://www.coolnurse.com/self-injury.htm

This topic is difficult for me to respond to but I will give it a try. Many years ago I was a "cutter". I did it because I was extrememly depressed and alone. I wanted a physical reason for my pain, because somehow that made the pain easier to handle. In contrast to what many here have said, I did not do it for attention. My cutting was never known by anyone. I simply did it because it made the pain I was feeling easier to deal with. I also punched things, I broke my hand several times when I was a teenager. Again this was so that the emotional pain I was feeling was matched by physical pain to make it easier to handle. Everyone is different. In my opinion your friend needs someone to talk to. Someone who will listen without judging her. She needs to know that things will get better. The best thing you can do for her is let her know that you care no matter what. Unconditional Love is the best cure. I personally never got professional help, but that doesn't mean that it wouldn't benefit your friend. I personally didn't trust people and talking to a professional wouldn't have helped me because I wouldn't have been honest. I started to talk to God, and no he didn't respond. God's love is unconditional and I could tell him anything and he didn't judge me. I know that for some I was just talking to myself, but the way I see it God saved me from the darkness. That was over 25 years ago. I don't talk about it much because that was a dark time in my life that I would just prefer to forget, however if my story in any way can help your friend than I guess reliving it was worth it. I will keep you both in my prayers and I wish both you and your friend the best of everything. May the light of love shine down on you and fill your hearts with happiness.

I believe it's because they feel it calms them down, and they think the physical pain takes away the mental pain they are going through.

Hi, I did have a friend like this ages ago. She cuts her hands and legs whenever she feels depressed or something. She said it is one way for her to forget her depression and instead concentrate on the physical pain, it is her way to help her continue living and surviving thats what she said to me. So maybe, it is for the same reason that makes your friend cuts herself as well. My friend is better now, and the only one way I can help her is to be a friend to her, to support her, to get her to talk to me whenever she feels frustrated or depressed, instead of cutting herself. I get her to go see a psychologist, and she was prescribed an anti depression pill kind of things. I encourage her to take the pill as per prescribtion, and to talk things over to me if she feels that she couldnt cope anymore. We cried together many times, and also I pray for her every night, and over time she feels that she is not alone in this world. She knows that I care for her.. and she really feels it. It became easier and easier for her to manage the depresion and no longer cutting herself. I hope this may help you to help your friend.

This issue is pretty common, some people who are severely depressed cause physical pain to them self in order to distract them from their emotional stress.