01 May 2002
When bad things happen to me, or things go wrong, i harm myself. i cut my arms , my wrists and my hands in an attempt to release all the bad things in my head. I have done this on and off for many years and when comming to university, discovered that one of my new friends also suffers from the same. i do feel that i would like to get help but dont know how to!. I'm also scared that people will think i'm mental or something.

Response
This kind of self-harm is unexpectedly common, so I am not surprised that you have met up with someone who reacts to stress in the same way. You don’t say whether you are male or female, but it occurs in both men and women.

Cutting is a way of ‘letting off steam’. For some reason that we don’t fully understand, a person finds the act of cutting releases tension and therefore makes them feel better. Most people don’t feel pain at the time of the cutting, although afterwards it can be painful while the injury is healing. It is not attention-seeking behaviour, as most people do it in private and never tell anyone.

You should seek help from the counselling service at your University; they will be able to help you understand why you do it and how to find other (better) ways of dealing with stress.

Read our article on self-harm, which also points you to a useful web site.