Cutting : Act for Attention or Plea for Help?

One day in my Health class we were on the subject of suicide and cutting. Something that the teacher said caught my attention. 'Someone who cut their wrists side to side are just trying to get attention. Someone who cut their wrists up and down, are really trying to kill themselves.'

It got me thinking. I used to cut, to tell you the truth. And I did it side to side. I didn't want attention. To me, either way is a plea for help. You may be wanting to kill yourself, but not really want to die. I decided to get to the point.

Cutting has been around the world since the 1950s, and to people, cutting is just someone trying to get attention to them. It's just a way to get people to feel sorry for them. I went around to alot of people I knew, people that cut. I asked them why they cut.

9 out of 11 said it was because they actually wanted to feel something or because it was a way to eliminate the pain inside for a short period of time.

The other two said it was so they would actually get their parents to pay atleast a little bit of time with them.

What is it with people and thinking the worst about cutters? Their are many reasons people cut. It can be because someone just lost someone dear to them, their life has changed drastically, worrying about school and if they'll get into a good college, getting into a fight with a friend or family member, sometimes even when you break up with a boyfriend/girlfriend. All of these things can lead someone to being overly stressed or into a depression, which sometimes leads people to cutting themselves.

I've searched around on the internet, just reading and looking at pictures of people teasing and making fun of people who cut. 'Remember Kids, it's up the road, not across the street.' or 'Slit your wrists and call it a day.' These people call teens who cut 'emo', putting them into a stereotype.

I have a couple of facts about depression and self injury that I've researched:

121 million people worldwide suffer from depression. 18 million of these cases are happening in the United States.

Between 20% and 50% of children and teens struggling with depression have a family history of this struggle and the offspring of depressed parents are more than three times as likely to suffer from depression.

Depression often co-occurs with anxiety disorders and substance abuse, with 30 percent of teens with depression also developing a substance abuse problem.

2/3 of those suffering from depression never seek treatment.

Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide, and suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers.

Experts estimate that 4% of the population struggle with self-injury. It has the same occurrence between males and females, even though in popular culture it can appear to be more prevalent among girls.

So please, I urge you to not just sit there and wait it out. Talk to someone about your problems. Whether it be a peer or an adult. Anyone you know you can trust and won't judge.

All we can do to help is sit down, not judge, and listen.