Attention Seekers

Injuring yourself on purpose by making scratches or cuts on your body with sharp objects is called cutting. Cutting is a type of self-injury. People may cut themselves on their wrists, arms, legs, or bellies. Some people self-injure by burning their skin with the ends of cigarettes or a lighted match. People who injure themselves usually hide the cuts and marks and sometimes no one else knows. The urge to cut might be triggered by feelings the person can't express, such as anger, hurt, shame, frustration, or depression. People who cut sometimes say they feel they don't fit in or that no one understands them. Self-injuring can happen because of traumatic experiences, such as: living through abuse, violence, or disasters. Cutting might seem like the only way to find relief. According to the movie shown in class, "Can You See My Pain," someone who self-injures thinks they need to cut in order for them to live. Cutting is a behavior that starts as an attempt to feel more in control, which ends up controlling you.

Cutting often begins as an impulse. It's not something the person thinks about ahead of time. In the video, "Can You See My Pain," we witness nine individuals inflicting pain, expressing anger, and trying to get control of it.

Our first cutter is a female by the name of Margo. Margo's past history has played a significant role in injuring herself. Her brother sexually abused her at an early age, causing her to feel pain, sadness, and confusion towards other people. Margo would cut in response to these feelings by scratching, picking wounds, and burning her skin.

Jessie, our next cutter, grew up in a family that never gave compliments and very seldom acknowledged her great doings. Therefore, her thoughts of herself were turned into garbage. To her, the sight of blood was a way of realizing she was alive. Her depression drove herself along and brought about feelings of loneliness. Jessie knew she could always walk away, but her feelings of nothing found it hard for her to walk away form this cutting.

Amanda found it easier to have the physical pain rather then the emotional pain. Growing up, her father knew about her cutting habits. Unfortunately, her father wanted to see what she could handle on her own. Amanda thought if she didn't cut when she was feeling hurt, she would no longer be happy.

At age seventeen, Ashley witnessed an unfortunate event. Her sister was seen cutting her wrists. This caused Ashley to do the same, even without noticing it. Furthermore, Ashley's mother wasn't very close to her children and used a lot of alcohol and drugs.

Desiree was a previous cutter who found support from many family members and counselors. She figured if they liked her, then she could find out who she really was. It took her two years to recover and to this day, still doesn't cut. She advises parents, friends, etc., to listen to each other and provide support.

Many cutters are abused sexually or verbally. Just like Margo, Nikki was being sexually abused at home during the night. To her, being abused was the only thing she could do to receive love. Nikki would cut herself until she could get all her pain to go away. Her impulse for cutting was always there, but Nikki believed reaching out and asking for help was in the end, beneficial, even though it seems scary.

Amy was a very educated individual. She attended college and entered medical school. However, just like Jessie and Ashley's family, Amy's family never liked to