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My own fight with SI had nothing to do with not having "stuff", but with my own feelings and emotions that stemmed from my own mental disorders as well as an unhappy childhood.  I feel like my battles with anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder are trivialized by statements like this.  It's not that I'm ill, it's that I'm a victim of our consumerist society and a bombardment of negative media messages?  I think not.

You could have a point, and there probably are people out there who struggle with their self-images because of our current culture, but the root of the problem is still internal.  A person isn't going to have those problems unless they're predisposed.  Someone who is isolated or shielded from the media could still wind up with a negative self image, and someone bombarded with these "subtle yet constant" messages could turn out to be well adjusted and stable.

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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I have been hurting myself since I was 13 years old, and for a while it was a very serious problem.  I was a cutter, which meant I primarily used a knife to cut myself.  I also burned myself with cigarettes and ice/salt.  I don't know what made me start self-mutilating, exactly, but I do know that it was very addicting and as time went on I had to cut myself more and/or deeper to the get the same result.  What was on the outside of my body was a direct reflection of what I was feeling inside, and hurting myself was the only way I could really understand the things I was feeling.  It had a very calming effect and helped me numb myself, much like drinking would numb the pain of an alcoholic.  That's why it was so hard to stop--if I wasn't cutting I had to think my thoughts and feel my feelings.  Additionally, it's sometimes the only control I had over my life, and to give it up was to give up the one thing I had power over. 

I'm 28 now.  I've never really stopped completely, it is still something I struggle with.  If I'm having a really hard time with my anxiety or depression, about 75% of the time I think to myself "oh wow, I just want to cut myself" but for the most part I am able to overcome my urges.  It's not a frequent occurence these days, however.  The last time I hurt myself was December, and before that it was some time in 2006.  Prior to 2006, the last time was some time in 2004. 

I know other self-injurers.  A couple of my close friends have struggled with it, and my niece has admitted to doing it in the past.  There's safety and relief in being able to admit to people who understand, and that's how my friends and I have helped each other: by talking each other through the difficult periods, or sitting with each other when the urges are strong.  We've also supported each other as we've gone through therapy, and held each other accountable. 

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
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