Kids who cut

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2007
Kids who cut
7
Fri, 05-11-2007 - 8:36am
I had a conversation with a parent of DS13's best friend. She told me they had discovered HER son had started cutting himself (arms). She also told me the therapist they visited claimed this is no longer necessarily an expressional of emotional distress, but that the kids now see it as a cool, trend thing -- especially kids who like emo (tho this kid isn't emo).
Amazing!!! Anyone else hearing this? What is up with this?
Avatar for jbgattuso
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-29-2003
In reply to: karenlk10
Fri, 05-11-2007 - 9:55am

Hey there, We delt with a friend of my DS's who was a cutter. DS came to my husband and I and told us that his friend was doing this and that he tried to get him to stop :( He decided to tell us, when DS actually started taking razors away from his friend. It is a sad long story, but I researched cutting during this time. I found this:

Cutting — The New Cool?
Girls and guys who self-injure are often dealing with some heavy troubles. Many work hard to overcome difficult problems. So they find it hard to believe that there are some teens who cut just because they think it's a way to seem tough and rebellious.

Tia tried cutting because a couple of the girls at her school were doing it. They pressured her. "It seemed like if I didn't do it, they would think I was afraid or something. So I did it once. But when I walked away, I thought about how lame it was to do something like that to myself for no good reason. Next time they asked I just said, 'no, thanks — it's not for me.' "

If you have a friend who suggests you try cutting, say what you think. Why get pulled into something you know isn't good for you? There are plenty of other ways to express who you are. (Not giving in to peer pressure is one of them!)

Lindsay had been cutting herself for 3 years because of abuse she suffered as a child. She's 16 now and hasn't cut herself in more than a year. "I feel proud of that," Lindsay says. "So when I hear girls talk about it like it's a fad, it really gets to me."

I Still believe that Cutting is more for emotionally troubled kids, but like anything else, it can effect all!!

So Sad,

Julie

Avatar for weberdns0
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-25-2000
In reply to: karenlk10
Fri, 05-11-2007 - 10:01am
My ds is always talking about girls who are cutting themselves.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
In reply to: karenlk10
Fri, 05-11-2007 - 12:49pm

I hope the dr. is at least *considering* that it could be a sign of emotional distress.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2007
In reply to: karenlk10
Fri, 05-11-2007 - 1:12pm

I just discovered that a close female friend of DS and his friend (the one who was cutting) has a myspace tagline that reads "bleed just to know you're alive".

Makes me wonder if this is where DS's friend got the idea. Or if this girl has just discovered the concept for herself.

I never know if I should let other parent's know when I see scary (or disgusting) stuff on kid's myspace sites or if its none of my business.

Geesh. Maybe I should be checking MY kid for cuts/scratches if his friends are getting into this.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
In reply to: karenlk10
Fri, 05-11-2007 - 9:53pm
Back when my DD was 12 or 13 she had a friend who was a cutter. The girl came from a horrible home, mother was into all kinds of substance abuse, had a very abusive b/f living with her, who apparently liked to share the daughter's bed too... you get the picture. My DD tried cutting once when she was angry with me (used a bent open paper clip to scratch herself) and then was so disgusted with the way her arms looked she never did it again. I was really scared for her for awhile... she told me that her friend said it makes her feel better, and that's why my DD tried it. I am pretty sure that she hasn't done it other than that one time... but I would be worried about any kid who did it repeatedly.
Rose
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-17-2005
In reply to: karenlk10
Sat, 05-12-2007 - 2:18am

Though for some people cutting might be cool because it's trendy (which is just sickening), when Reagan was in 8th grade she cut. She was doing it for nearly 9 months before anyone, even her closest friends even knew. There are still a lot of kids out there who cut because of emotional distress, I know that because my daughter was one of them. I wouldn't call her emo either, maybe a little earthy, but not emo and I hate the world. She just didnt have an outlet for her problems. Now she is a senior getting ready to graduate and go off to college and hasn't cut in over 3 years, but it was so hard in the beginning. Even the kids that are cutting because it is cool need help because that just shows their lack of self esteem.

Stephanie

Avatar for weberdns0
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-25-2000
In reply to: karenlk10
Sat, 05-12-2007 - 9:58am
Those who cut and don't advertise it are emotionally distressed.