Cutting: Tweeny Trend or Serious Problem?

August 6, 2008 Posted in Body, Reality

Women’s social issues have been treated in programs geared towards teens for ages. Remember when DJ Tanner went on a crash diet so she could look good in a bathing suit, and then passed out on a stairclimber?

By Kathryn S

On Saved by the Bell, Elizabeth Berkley gained pre-Showgirls notoriety, for the famous Jessie Spano Caffeine Pill Breakdown (I’m so excited! I’m so scared!). Of course, Full House and SBTB were heart-warming sitcoms, where everyone learns their lesson in the end, and move away from their self-destructive behavior, never to mention anorexia, bullimia, or drug abuse ever again.

The breakout Canadian teen sensation, Degrassi, which airs in the US on The N network, covers a variety of teen issues, without the cavity-inducing sugary sweetness of the stuff we grew up on. Among the kids who dabble in drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, and bi-polar disorder, Degrassi introduced the world to Ellie Nash, who is a cutter.

I’m too old for Degrassi, but I don’t care. I’m pretty much obsessed with it. The best part about the show is that it doesn’t sweep the issues under the rug at the end of each 22-minute episode. And because the writers have the balls to “Go There.” I mean, come on: we all know the caffeine-pill incident was a stand-in for a harder drug, like speed or something, but hard drugs don’t exist at Bayside High.

I remember when the cutting craze swept my middle school. I have no idea who started it, or why it caught on, but at my school, cutting was the iPhone of the late 90′s. Everybody did it. How sick is that? Needless to say, I went through a period of self-mutilation. Before I explain, let me insist that hurting yourself is completely different from, say, suicidal tendencies. I didn’t want to die; I just wanted an outlet to relieve stress. So, when I got upset about some stupid middle-school-drama, I would sit in my room and make little cuts on my wrists or abdomen.

I know, this habit is totally lame, and morbid, and… did I mention lame? And that’s why I stopped; it was embarrassing to have to wear chunky bracelets or long sleeved shirts in the summer. When people asked what happened, I had to make up stupid excuses, and try not to look like a pseudo-goth psychopath. The “trend” at my school faded away along with flared jeans and Chumbawumba, and I grew out of my own habit.

But, there’s still a part of me that gets the urge to cut from time to time. Even though I am way to old to be relating to a fictional character like Ellie Nash, there was an episode where Ellie explains to some other troubled teen that her urge to cut is something she has to live with, not something that will go away. If I’m pissed off after a bad day at work, or stressed about an exam, sometimes I have the urge to hurt myself. It’s almost like craving a cigarette. Of course, I have healthier outlets to relieve stress, e.g. the Elliptical machine at the Y.

So, for whatever reason, cutting has been around for some time, and it is most likely to occur in teenage girls. Many of them will grow out of it, like I did, but there are cases when the habit can snowball and lead to serious outcomes. I think that shows like Degrassi do a better justice to the trials and tribulations of growing up, because we can’t all have a Zack Morris run into our bedroom and throw our problems on the floor.

1094611 Comments2008-08-06+14%3A30%3A51Kathryn+S on "Cutting: Tweeny Trend or Serious Problem?"

Olua - Washington Co says:
Wed, 6th Aug 20087:35 am

I have lots of friends who went through that "phase" in junior-ish year, and I'm pretty sure all of them still get urges. It makes no sense to people who either haven't done it or aren't close to someone who's done it.

And man, that elliptical is no fucking joke.

J - NYU says:
Wed, 6th Aug 20087:38 am

You know what spread through MY junior high?

Diet pills. And exercising until you collapsed.

Oh yeah, suburbia.

Lauren, University o says:
Wed, 6th Aug 200810:23 am

I dont want to sound dumb, but I really don't understand: how does cutting make you feel better? Doesn't it hurt?

Kathryn S says:
Thu, 7th Aug 200812:28 pm

It does hurt, but it still relieves stress. Like I said, I use the elliptical instead now, and the more stressed I am, the harder I push. So I'm out of breath, cramping up, my muscles are burning… but it still feels a hell of a lot better than emotional pain (e.g. stress, anxiety, heartache, whatev).

Bekah says:
Thu, 7th Aug 200811:12 pm

everyone has different reasons why they cut. some do it to relieve stress, some as a distraction from an emotional pain, and some will cut because they think they deserve the physical pain.

it took nearly two years for me to realize that i wasn't alone when it came to self-injury.. it was basically unheard of in my small town. i didn't even bother to wear long sleeves because no one was suspicious. no one could fathom why someone would hurt themselves and didn't even consider the possibility that i was doing just that.

i think it's both a trend and a serious problem. ever since "emo" became mainstream, cutting has become a well-known concept. it's a bad habit to start even if you quit eventually. the urge stays with you for the rest of your life. i just really don't like the idea of all these kids thinking that cutting's a valid outlet for negative emotion because they hear so much about it and then being caught in the self-injury cycle for the rest of their lives..

Heather says:
Fri, 8th Aug 20083:39 pm

yeah, those lame emo bands totally promote it (not all, but some). like that ridiculous taking back sunday song called “cute without the e.” yeah, cut. totally get it.

jeez, i thought no one remembered that episode of saved by the bell. that ones my favorite.

i think the self-mutilation though is definitly a problem, but it does seem like younger people tend to do it a bit more. im drawing this opinion just from my own experiences in school… during junior high school, a ton of kids used to do it, and by high school, it seemed like it was about a hand full.

GiGi says:
Sun, 10th Aug 20085:01 pm

I grew on degrassi,mmmman. that was the ish in my school amoungst my friends we talk'd about 24/7! If you missed one episode you might as well have written "leper" on your forehead. we discuss'd our haterd for Manny and her slutty ways and ate that ish up!

i never knew about cutting till Ellie cut on Degrassi.Then 2 years later i was a cutter. i got over it. how? don't know. I have an obessive personality, found something better to obess about which was cali, emo, xanga, and A&F at the time.

Deb says:
Tue, 26th Aug 20087:55 pm

When I started cutting i didn't know that other people did it too(i was 12ish). i just scrapped myself one day, and i found myself staring at it, then i did it again, and again. over three years it got a lot worse, and i found out that other people did it too. I tried to quit but i didn't have to skills do deal with my problems(especially my past), the only thing i really knew to do was cut, and it help.

Cutting releases endorphines(sorry i can't spell) like some drugs. and it gives you a kind of peace feeling. It helps you escape from the pain and cauious that some of us life in.

Over the years i have been to councling, which helped. but honestly the only thing that really helped was developing faith in God.

But that's not to say that I dont' ever relapse. I actually havent' been able to go a whole year without it yet. but it's about once a year. But honestly i'm running out of scarless skin.

I dont' think there will ever be a time that i dont' think about cutting every now and then, but I do know that there will be a time that i won't go any farther than thinking about it.

i know that was long but i dont' get to talk about it that much, so yeah…

Aerin says:
Wed, 3rd Sep 20084:24 am

Hi.

Where I live, cutting isn't a trend; it's a taboo. So yeah. What I want to know from those of you who did it and stopped is why you think it's a problem. I mean, statistically, smokers and alcoholics have higher death rates.

I'm sorry if this comes across as immature and insensitive – it's just that everyone has been demanding that I stop and I can't really see a reason why I should, other than the fact that I'm making people miserable. But I don't really get why people see it as self-destructive or harmful, because for me the alternative seems worse – I've been known to try and commit murder while in a state of emotional dissociation and I simply don't want to risk that.

So, yeah, I'm hoping someone can help.

Thank you.

Asdf Jklll says:
Sun, 14th Jun 20095:31 pm

you should stop. people don't like to see other people hurting themselves. especially the people close to you. you may think it's fine now, but what happens when it spirals out of control and you're doing it all the time and your body is covered in scars? think about the future. and the people around you. they want to help you. you just have to let them.

Not Alone says:
Mon, 5th Oct 20095:07 pm

WOW. This piece really made me cry! I'm sixteen, and obviously growing up in the new millenium. I started cutting when I was twelve, because it was kind of some weird unspoken trend, if that makes any sense. Although it wasn't really, it was sort of a psuedo trend, where it seemed like everyone did it, but I was really the only one. Well, I've been totally addicted ever since. Over the summer, I began writing in my calender every time I cut, and I realized that over the past six months, the longest I've gone without cutting is six days. I can't stay away from it, and I doubt I'll ever stop.

I want to thank you for writing this. Seeing other people expressing their experiences for other's benefit is really bold and sincere, and it's amazingly brave of you to be able to admit to doing this. I can't even use my real name…

I'm completely obsessed with cutting, to the point where sometimes I can't even focus in class, because my mind is wrapped around the image of blood and razors… It's so bad, and sometimes I feel hopeless.

But it makes me so happy to see that there are other people that share my addiction. Thank you for your words!

Always.

–Hopelessly Addicted.

Tell us what you're thinking...