How to Quit Cutting

Self-injury for many people begins in their early teenage years. Learning to cope with the ups and downs of life is hard for anyone. While cutting seems like a cry for help or a suicide attempt, often it is not. Many individuals that suffer from self-injury are looking for a way to express their emotions and release pain. Self-injuring sufferers often do not know what to do with the emotions they feel and thus turn to harming themselves as a way to deal with what is going on in their lives. While the goal of self-injury for most people may not be suicide, there is always the risk of death from cutting or other forms of self-injury. Deciding to stop self-injury is not an easy decision to make. In order to fully understand the situation and find other, healthy ways of emotional expression, commitment and work is needed from the person in treatment.

Instructions

• 1

  Talk to someone. Confide in a family member or friend. You do not have to know the person well, simply acknowledging that there is a problem makes the problem real. Once you admit cutting to someone else, you can no longer deny it.

• 2

  Get yourself into treatment. Whether you decide to check into a residential mental health center or go to an outpatient therapist, any form of therapy is a step in the right direction. Talking with a trained professional helps you put your cutting into perspective and helps you understand why you turn to self-harm, instead of other ways of expressing emotion. Therapy is also a way to figure out if there is an underlying problem such as depression.

• 3

  Join a therapy group. On top of one-on-one counselling, group therapy allows you to talk with people that currently and formerly suffer from self-harm. Getting the perspective of other people that have been, or are in a similar situation, not only helps you understand yourself -- but is also a way of getting ideas for positively and constructively expressing yourself.

• 4

  Do not stray from your treatment plan. Maintaining your mental health is key. Go to your therapy appointments and stay in group therapy. Medications that may have been prescribed should be taken at the appropriate times and only be stopped if it is recommended by your doctor.

• 5

  Always notify your doctor or group therapy sponsor when you harm yourself. Talking about your struggles and being honest is one of the most effective ways to overcome self-harm. The more you talk about your life, and how you feel, the more you understand your illness.