"Cutting Is Fun," Says Teen

This interviewee would be one of those SIers who perpetuate the myth of "cutting is just a fashion statement" and that "cutters have no real problems." I think she pretty much speaks for herself.

Q: “At what age did you begin to injure yourself?”
A: “I started cutting at around 13 or 14 years old, around beginning of
junior high.”

Q: “What was the reason you began to hurt your body? Was there a
specific “breaking point” moment?”
A: “I began to do it out of fun. I thought it would be cool to start making
marks on my arms, around me there was like this fad of cutting. I don’t know
why, it was kind of entertaining to do it. I guess there wasn’t really a
breaking point, I just felt antsy and thought it would be a good reliever of
sorts.”

Q: “How did it feel when you would hurt yourself?”
A: “It would depend. Sometimes I felt a lot of pain and other times it felt
kind of…good“.

Q: “Why did you decide to cut your arms instead of seeking other means
for emotional relief?”
A: “I felt a kind of desperation and anxiety towards life in general. Once
I started making the marks I couldn’t stop, it turned into an addiction. I
thought “No one really cares, no one notices anyways”.

Q: “In what moments would you feel more compelled to injure
yourself?”
A: “Depended on the situation, if I was with some friends I’d do it for
fun. Other times it was because I felt sad or depressed or felt kind of
frantic.”

Q: “Have you stopped hurting yourself? If so, how long did you
last?”
A: “It’s over now, or at least I’m trying to end it. February was the last
time I did anything.

Q: “Do you still feel the need to injure your body?”
A: “Sometimes I do, it’s addicting, but then I stop myself before I let my
thoughts go any further.”

Q: “How were you able to overcome the problem?”
A: “I realized it was useless to do those things; the fun I thought was in
it is gone. I came to the realization that there was no need to cut my arms, its
pointless really, and it solves nothing.”

Q: “What advice would you give to others in a similar situation as
yourself?”
A: “Try to find other means for your escape, a healthier mean. You don’t
need to hurt yourself. If you feel the problem is too big, then find someone
whom you can trust to express what you’re feeling.”

To be honest, when it all boils down, a cutter is still a cutter, no matter the reasons that provoke him or her. To this particular person, it seems to be mostly a self-esteem/ resisting peer pressure thing, which ARE problems, of course. But I can't imagine how cutting oneself can be "entertaining" at all.