Self-injury destructive, but not uncommon

*Editor’s note: This is a follow-up article for “When the Stress is Too Much.” The names of some of the sources have been changed to protect their privacy.

For a cutter, their razor blade or knife or whatever sharp object available is their savior. Many cutters say injuring themselves gets them through the day, and sometimes keeps them alive.
And yet, self-injury is destructive and often dangerous. It is addictive and secretive. Many people who cut hate the addiction and shame, but don’t know how to stop harming themselves. For them, cutting allows them to focus, feel, think, live. Nothing else works.
English instructor Bellee Jones knows what this feels like. She cut for three years while she was in college, beginning when she was a freshman. Cutting was a release for her, as well as self-punishment.
“It was like dissociation,” she said. “I felt like I was in a box and I couldn’t get out of it, and cutting allowed me to get on with my day.”
Jones was only able to stop cutting when its effects didn’t help her anymore. At that point, the cutting escaladed. Jones said it got to the point where her cutting started to scare her. She knew she had to quit.
“It was really hard,” she said. “I have slipped up, but Christmas Eve 2001 was the day I decided to quit.”

Jones said cutting was a process, even a ritual for her. It involved her concentration. When she decided to quit cutting, she had to find something else that involved this same concentration. Jones’ primary tactic was styling her hair. For her, having something tedious to focus her attention on took her mind away from harming herself.
“When I got in that state, I would go to the mall or Hot Topic and get hair dye-my hair became that process.”
Jones advised cutters to confide in someone they trust. It was painful and scary for her when others found out, but the accountability ultimately helped her quit cutting.
“The worst part is that it’s a secret,” Jones said. “If it’s a secret, it’s easier to keep doing it.”
Jones encouraged cutters to tell someone about their struggle with self-injury.
“People [at GCSU] are not as close-minded as you think,” she said. “This community is accepting of people and problems. It will be easy to get help here.”
GCSU student Jamie* said one thing she wants people to know about cutters is that the only difference between them and non-cutters is that they choose to deal with their problems differently.
“It is not a bad thing,” she said. “It is an addiction like alcohol, piercing, tattoos and drugs. The person doing it is not a bad person.”
Jamie has been cutting for five years, and has several friends that cut as well. She said she tried, unsuccessfully, to stop once when she cut too deep. She has nerve damage in both hands.
Another student, Lindsey*, has been cutting for almost eight years. Her advice for cutters who want to stop is to have support from friends.
“Have someone you trust there when you are triggered or at least a phone call away, and a backup friend in case the first is not available,” she said.
Even though she still cuts, Lindsey is hopeful of overcoming it one day. She said that the key to quitting is perseverance.
“You will cut, but don’t get discouraged,” she said. “Maybe one day you’ll succeed and prove yourself to be a stronger person than you think you are right now.”
GCSU student Anna*, who cut in high school, said the only way anyone can stop cutting is by willpower and determination.
“You have to want to stop,” she said. “You can’t push someone, and you can’t force them to do it.”
Anna said it took seven months for her to stop cutting. She gave several factors that helped her quit:
 Keep cutting materials out of immediate reach (knives, scissors, nails)
 Find out what triggers the need to cut
 Find alternative behaviors (writing, reading, rollerblading, running)
 Talk to a trusted friend or counselor
Anna is very satisfied with the help she has received from GCSU’s Counseling Services. She said she has never been forced to talk about anything she didn’t want to. She recommends that all cutters talk with a counselor.
Anna’s advice to non-cutters is to listen and not judge. Many times people just want to talk to someone and have them understand. She also advised that friends of cutters help them figure out their cutting triggers and keep them accountable.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 27 2007. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry