Dear Dish-It, I Like to Cut Myself

Dish-It serves up advice for teens who are dealing with depression and cutting.

Advice About Cutting

Dear Dish-It is here to help with all your hot tops. Be it bullying, sibling rivalry, self-esteem problems, depression or suicide, Dish-It is here for ya. On the fly, she gives great teen dating advice, some deep thoughts on the hot topics like flirting, cheaters, best friends, the straight-up on boys and boyfriends as well as the real deal on girls and girlfriends. Dear Dish-It's got the words to make it work. Need advice on love and life, then just write to Dish-It. And now, Dish-It is hanging on the boards, so head on over to see the advice she's dishin' up there!

I have received so many letters about cutting in the past few months that I thought we should re-publish xxbeexohxx's letter. Just like xxbeexohxx, tons of Kidzworld members have been dealing with, or know of someone who has been dealing with, a cutting problem. In these kinds of situations, the best thing to do is find out what has driven you or your friend to the point of cutting. It's not an easy task - in fact, it could be quite painful and emotional. But, in the end, you are going to have to address these feelings sooner or later, and it's best to deal with them before the cutting gets out of control. Take a look at the advice I gave to xxbeexohxx and check out the resources I have suggested for cutters, and their friends and family.

Dear Dish-It,
I love to carve on myself with a staple. People say I'm stupid, some people care, some people think it's unique. Everyone says it's bad, but I just can't stop because I love how it feels. They also said it will give me skin cancer, but I don't know if it will. I've ignored everyone's comments, good or bad. Do a lot of people carve themselves? It makes me feel strong when I feel depressed and weak.
xxbeexohxx

Dear xxbeexohxx,
While I haven't heard that cutting can cause cancer, it can cause a lot of trauma to your body. First, you are putting yourself in danger every time you decide to cut yourself. The longer you continue to do this, the more intense the cutting will get. This means you are going to be cutting deeper and deeper to make yourself feel better, but you are also running the risk of cutting yourself too deep. With cutting comes the potential of infection or even the contraction of a serious disease (if the instrument you are using to cut yourself isn't clean). Cutting may make you feel better about yourself for a short time, but there are obviously some serious issues you are not willing to deal with head on. You should definitely seek help from your parents, school guidance counselor or another trusted adult. This is not a problem that will go away; most likely it will just get worse. You aren't alone in the way that you are feeling right now, but you do need to find a healthier outlet for your depression, like by taking an art class or joining a yoga group.

Resources for Teens Who Cut

A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain by Marilee Strong is a book that has received great reviews from people who are cutters, or were in the past. You can find this non-fiction, self-help book at www.amazon.com.

Another book to check out is Cut by Patricia McCormick. This book is fiction (a made-up story), but tells a very realistic tale of how one girl overcomes her cutting problem.

To seek help anonymously, head to www.troubledteen101.com. They have message boards, online help and a 1-800 number you can call.

To hear what other Kidzworld members had to say to xxbeexohxx about cutting, click here!

So gotta burnin' question? Need some love directions? Thinkin' about stuff like teen suicide, depression, sex, low self-esteem, boyfriends, girlfriends, losing old friends, bullying or peer pressure, but are too scared to ask your parents? Don't be scared to Dish-It. Just remember, if you hang out in chat with other Kidzworld members who know you by your nick, you might wanna use a secret nick when you write in. That way, no one will ever know it's you. Remember though, Dish-It gets tons of letters a day, so she can't answer 'em all. But keep checkin' the column cuz chances are, she'll be answering something very similar to your question soon. Thanks! Got some words of wisdom you wanna share? We'll dish them up too.

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