Cutters, people who self injure, and yes, men self injure, tend to have a certain emotional, psychological makeup. Who are these people who self harm?

All different kinds of people, with all different backgrounds, in all different social classes. There are not many unifying factors among people that self injure. Most of them are women, but not all, and most of them begin to self-injure in their early teenage years, but not all. Chances are that more men self injure than we know about, but are less likely to seek medical and emotional support for self-injury.

"Self harm is not suicide for me. I want people to notice it and ask me about my wounds. Never shy away, as long as you ask sensible questions then that is fine. It is ok not to know how to deal with it, but I won't be offended by sensible, guilt-free queries.

"Yes I hated myself, and I wouldn't have done it if I didn't. And I initially hated myself more because I did it, and then I realized that self harm was my safety valve. Without it, I would never have survived." Visit her site here.

To learn about real people's encounters with self-injury, visit the experiences page.

• strongly dislike/invalidate themselves
• are hypersensitive to rejection
• are chronically angry, usually at themselves
• tend to suppress their anger
• have high levels of aggressive feelings, which they disapprove of strongly and often suppress or direct inward
• are more impulsive and more lacking in impulse control
• tend to act in accordance with their mood of the moment
• tend not to plan for the future
• are depressed and suicidal / self-destructive
• suffer chronic anxiety
• tend toward irritability
• do not see themselves as skilled at coping
• do not have a flexible repertoire of coping skills
• do not think they have much control over how/whether they cope with life
• tend to be avoidant
• do not see themselves as empowered (R1)

Unfortunately, people are ignorant about Self-Injury. Many of them think Self-Injury is simply about getting attention. However, this is rarely ever the case. People self-injure to relieve tension and unwanted emotions. If someone is committing self-injury for attention, they are probably asking for help and need the attention.

Kitties Do it Too!

I found this interesting article on the web that discusses cats that self-mutilate. I had no idea! The doctor says that cats pull out their hair sometimes when they are unhappy. My sister said it best: At least you're like a cute animal.

next: Why?