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Hi! This is Kayla, a self-injurer too. I have a research paper concerning about nonsuicidal self-injury. 

 
May I ask a favor? Please answer the following questions:
 
1. When did you start harming yourself?
2. When did you stop?
3. What type of self-injury did you do?
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
5. What/ who influenced you?
6. Why did you self-injure?
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
7. How frequent do you self-injure?
8. How did you stop?
 
 
Looking forward for kind consideration.
 
Thank you! Have a blessed day!

{ 2 supporters... geek0chic and annalises }



The Author

I need your support for my research paper! in Research/Media: Call For Participants published by 1 year ago ()

49 comments... read them below

Comments

Alice2342

Answers

1 year () (Permalink)

 

1. When did you start harming yourself? At age 12, around the time I started my period.
2. When did you stop? It's a constant struggle, and I'm uncomfortable claiming to have stopped. I haven't cut in two or three months, and I'm 22 now.
3. What type of self-injury did you do? Mostly cutting or scratching. Some burning as well.
4. How frequent do you self-injure? It's varied over the years. Now I'd say around once every six months, but at its worst, it was daily to twice a day.
5. What/ who influenced you? It started out as a form of self-punishment, but I quickly got addicted to it. I also made friends who self-injured, and we would compare cuts and even cut together on occasion when I was around 14-15.
6. Why did you self-injure? Again, it began as self-punishment and became an addiction for burying my emotions.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well? Yes, but not when I started. I made friends with similar issues.
7. How frequent do you self-injure? Twice a year, if I'm lucky.
8. How did you stop? I sought help. I take meds for my bipolar disorder and see a therapist for my borderline personality disorder.

Comment Links:

Anonymous

Answer

1 year () (Permalink)

1. At 16 (Early this year)

2. I haven't

3.Cutting, Biting, Scratching

4, Every 1-2 days

5."Communities" online & way to relieve my anger

6. Relieve anger, Fit in somewhere, Can't stop

7.Online friends, (maybe also in real life)

8.I didn't

Anonymous

Self harm

1 year () (Permalink)

 

1. When did you start harming yourself? Self harmed for the first time at about 14, first time cutting was 18
2. When did you stop? i havent
3. What type of self-injury did you do? used to severley scratch myself...nwo i cut
4. How frequent do you self-injure? once a day
5. What/ who influenced you? no one
6. Why did you self-injure? To help with the emotional pain...it feels like all my emotions flow out with the cut. It numbs the emotional pain i am having
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?  no
8. How did you stop? I didn't..
Anonymous

1. When did you start harming

1 year () (Permalink)
1. When did you start harming yourself? I was 23
2. When did you stop? I haven't.
3. What type of self-injury did you do? Mainly I cut myself with a razor, but I have burned myself with a cigarette lighter from the car, pieces of metal that I would hold in fire, and have hit myself to bruise myself.
4. How frequent do you self-injure? It used to be often, but now I've cut down to about once every other month.
5. What/ who influenced you? Nobody. I didn't know anyone who cut themselves.
6. Why did you self-injure? I needed a release from the stress and pain. I tried everything else, drugs, booze, sex, it didn't work like cutting did.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well? No, I have never met anyone who has done it.
7. How frequent do you self-injure?
8. How did you stop? I haven't. I don't know if I want to either.
Anonymous

I started self injury when I

1 year () (Permalink)

I started self injury when I was 11.

I've never stopped.

I cut myself with a razor.

Whenever I get an urge I self injure

People from a mental institution influenced me.

I self injure to get rid of my anxiety

I have a few that self injure

 

I started to self injure when

1 year () (Permalink)

I started to self injure when I was 13.

I haven't stopped. I go am able to use self control to hold everything back for a time, but then eventually everything becomes too much, and I start to feel lost within my own thoughts. And that's when I tend to self injure.

I am a cutter, but there are times that I do also, burn myself.

It's been almost 3 months now since I last self injured.

I don't think anything ever really influenced me, yet if I have to give an influence I would most likely go with Mathematics. Intergers more specifically. A negative plus a negative equal a positive. And for a time it did do just that create a positive feeling.

My life at the time was completely out of control. I come from a broken, very dysfunctional home.

I never knew anyone that self injured, I didn't actually know there were other self injurers out there until I was 16. And even then I only spoke with them on the phone I never actually met any self injurers. And still to this day, I haven't actually met one.

 

Comment Links:

Anonymous

1. When did you start harming

1 year () (Permalink)
1. When did you start harming yourself?
Last September, 2011 - i was 16
2. When did you stop?
Haven't yet. Im trying to. For now only 8th days.
3. What type of self-injury did you do?
Cutting my arms with razor
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
At first it was like until my last ones faded or after couple of weeks but then it got worse.
5. What/ who influenced you?
My past +Low self esteem, and changing schools and moving away from my home and friends.
6. Why did you self-injure?
I was feeling hopeless, alone like there is no way out. And it seemed to help, it was like an escape.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
No.
7. How frequent do you self-injure?
Question 4.
8. How did you stop?
Haven't, but doing 30day challenge thats supposed to help on recovery.
 
autismtwin

my answers

1 year () (Permalink)

1. When I was 10

2. I haven't

3. cutting, burning, and brusing

4. Depends. Usually once a day or sometimes twice a week

5. Surrounding problems

6. I would rather feel pain physically than emotionally

7. Yes

8. Same as number 4

9. I haven't

Comment Links:

Anonymous

 

1 year () (Permalink)
 
1. When did you start harming yourself?
Around seventh or eighth grade

2. When did you stop?
I haven't been able at least not consistently.

3. What type of self-injury did you do?
I cut my arms and legs with razors.
 
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
Depends sometimes as often as everyday other times as little as once or twice a month.

5. What/ who influenced you?
my family and friends influenced me.

6. Why did you self-injure?
because self injury seems to make everything easier.
 
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
Yes
 
8. How did you stop?
I can't

 

1 year () (Permalink)

 

1. When did you start harming yourself?
I don't remember when I started harming in general, but it was during elementary school. For my hair pulling and hitting/bruising it would be around second grade. During the break between fifth and sixth I began cutting.
2. When did you stop?
I haven't.
3. What type of self-injury did you do?
It started with pulling out my hair, escalated to punching, scratching until I bled and bruising myself, cutting, burning, and at a point I broke two of my fingers and attempted to break my hand.
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
I don't find I have a set pattern or amount. It relates primarily to stress and how well I can fight off the need to.
5. What/ who influenced you?
I don't think anyone or anything in particular influence me. It just sort of... happened.
6. Why did you self-injure?
To cope with feelings, to deal with stress, handle numbness. Anxiety. It eventually was just what I did to handle anything at all.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
Not at the time I started, but I now know four others who do. Only two who injure know about my self-injury, however.
8. How did you stop?
I haven't been able to stop entirely, but when I'm staying clean I primarily just try to stay as distracted as I can. I don't try to get upset about things. Talking about it helps. I always end up relapsing, though.
 
Good luck on your research paper!

Comment Links:

Anonymous

1. When did you start harming

1 year () (Permalink)
1. When did you start harming yourself?
Few months ago.
2. When did you stop?
I haven't.
3. What type of self-injury did you do?
I cut my arms and I eat until throw up.
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
Few times a week.
5. What/ who influenced you?
My parents and my friends.
6. Why did you self-injure?
Because I feel worthless and ashamed of myself, because I need to escape from the emotional pain that is with me all the time and from the shame that is eating me.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
Yes, my best friend used to self-injury and she has eating disorder too.
7. How frequent do you self-injure?
Few times a week.
8. How did you stop?
I haven't.
Anonymous

Answers

1 year () (Permalink)
1. When did you start harming yourself? When I was 18 years old, 4 years ago.
2. When did you stop? I didn't stop.
3. What type of self-injury did you do? Cutting, scratching, bruising and burning.
4. How frequent do you self-injure? Usually I don't do it until the latest bruise on my skin fades away or the latest scar heals. Approximately once in two weeks.
5. What/ who influenced you? I think it came naturally, I didn't have an influence.
6. Why did you self-injure? I was very unhappy but nobody knew it, I think I just felt like I need a physical evidence on my body that shows that I'm not okay, since I always had to pretend I'm fine. Having a scar was like an outlet of my problems that I could not tell anyone but couldn't keep inside either.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well? No, I didn't.
7. How frequent do you self-injure? See question 4.
8. How did you stop? I didn't stop.
Anonymous

1. When did you start harming

1 year () (Permalink)
1. When did you start harming yourself?   13
2. When did you stop?  Stopped injuring daily at 17, but injure multiple times a year still
3. What type of self-injury did you do?  Cutting with paperclips, electrical wire, and scissors
4. How frequent do you self-injure?  At my worst, every couple of hours.  Now?  Bi-monthly?
5. What/ who influenced you?  I was remembering my sexual abuse.
6. Why did you self-injure?  It was the only thing I found to calm me.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?  No.
7. How frequent do you self-injure?  Answered earlier.
8. How did you stop?  Put into a treatment center, therapy, support groups.
 
Anonymous

Research Paper

1 year () (Permalink)

Hey Kayla,

1. I started in the 7th grade, and I'm currently in the 12th grade.

2. I've been cut-free since November of 2011.

3. I cut my legs with a box cutter and bruised my arms with a metal book holder

4. I used to self-injure probably about 2 or 3 times a week

5. I have really low self-esteem, and i hate my body. My sister used to be very verbally abusive and still is sometimes, also lack of friends and people to rely on for support, and i couldn't really open up and tell my feelings, so i just bottled them up.

6. Look to #5.

7. Not at the time, i now know people who have self-injured, but when i first started and going into high school, i didn't know anybody that did.

8. I went through 2 1/2 years of therapy, and my therapist was amazing. She helped me through soo much, and was able to motivate me to get better. I also struggled with depression which is what brought on the self-injury, so she helped me through that as well. And figuring out my feelings and being able to open up to more people helped to heal as well. I also am on anti-depressants which help as well. but the therapy is what helped the most.

Good luck on your research paper!!

.

1 year () (Permalink)

1. When did you start harming yourself? Grade 9 2. When did you stop? Last time i did it was 3 days ago, trying to stop. 3. What type of self-injury did you do? Cutting, Bruising, Burning 4. How frequent do you self-injure? I used to do it every day, now im trying to stop but the longest ive gone without it is 2 months 5. What/ who influenced you? I was sexually harrassed by my older brother, bullied, my cousin told me about self injuring cus she did it too. 6. Why did you self-injure? I have anxiety and depression, cutting helped me 7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well? Yes 8. How did you stop? haven't been able to stop with everything that ive tried.

Comment Links:

Anonymous

research project answers

1 year () (Permalink)

1. 17 yrs old

2. i haven't

3.cutting and hitting

4. daily/ every second day

5. no one really i just started one day with some scratches and it progressed from there

6, lots of reasons sexual abuse, self hatred  being the most prominent

7. i knew someone who self injured but they weren't exactly a friend

8. i haven't

Oh_The_Whorror

Hope it helps..

1 year () (Permalink)

1. When did you start harming yourself? when i was about 12-13 2. When did you stop? i stopped a few weeks ago. 3. What type of self-injury did you do? Cutting. 4. How frequent do you self-injure? depends, sometimes i wouldn't cut for months and then other times i'd cut like everday. 5. What/ who influenced you? i'd have to say that i used to speak to people who self-injured and at first it seemed silly to me but then one say i felt so rubbish i thought i'd try it. 6. Why did you self-injure? Because every since i was in primary school i was bullied because i'm bigger than most girls in my school and i liked different things so when i got into high school i thought it would be better, but it wouldn't it got so so much worse than i would go home everyday after school everyday and just cry. frequently i wouldn't force my self to throw up just so i didn't have to go to school. 7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?Yeah, i know a few people that self-injure. 7. How frequent do you self-injure? I've started to stop now, but it was on average every month or so. 8. How did you stop? Because i realised how much i was hurting people who meant to the most to me plus i started to get really scared that one day i'd go too far.

Comment Links:

Anonymous

for your project ~ great project, im doing a similar one

1 year () (Permalink)

1. when i started high school

2. ive tried and have screwed up a couple of times in 2 years so i count it as semi-successful

3. i scratched myself and dug my nails into my head (and broke them) and sometimes cut myself and bruised myself constantly

4. randomly, i had no set pattern. if i was mad, scared, stressed, bored, nervous, or alone i would sometimes do it but the most i ever did was 2 times a week on occasion usually it was around 1 time every 2 weeks

5. nothing in particular influenced me as far as i can tell

6. see question 4

7. i have a few and i found out about them when i reached out to them for help because i didnt know what else to do 

8. my friends and i would have competitions together to see who could go the longest with out injuring themselves. every month we made it together, we would go out for dinner and a movie together as a sort of celebration. if someone slipped up, then we would start over but not 'celebrate' until we reached our best time from 'competitions' before. i personally stopped because im a runner and it gets hot during fall, spring, and summer so i couldnt cover the scars and cuts as well. also, i met a guy who made me see how i matter to others. im not friends with him anymore but he changed my life and possibly saved it. now i have a new guy who does the same for me and has kept me from hurting myself since november.

Anonymous

22 yr old female

1 year () (Permalink)

 

1. When did you start harming yourself? 2003
2. When did you stop? I haven't.
3. What type of self-injury did you do? cutting, burning, throwing myself into things and down stairs, banging my head
4. How frequent do you self-injure? almost every day
5. What/ who influenced you? I don't know why I started.
6. Why did you self-injure? I do it when I have feelings that are too strong for me to cope with...and I do it to punish myself.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well? one friend who stopped years ago
7. How frequent do you self-injure? you asked this haha
8. How did you stop? I didn't
Anonymous

Hope this helps

1 year () (Permalink)
1. When did you start harming yourself?
16
2. When did you stop?
Never
3. What type of self-injury did you do?
Started with hair pulling, head punching and scratching. Now is mostly cutting.
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
Couple of times a month, maybe more or less.
5. What/ who influenced you?
Was physically abused as a child.
6. Why did you self-injure?
Self punishment, perfectionist.
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
Not that I know of.
8. How did you stop?
Never
 
 
almost20

hope it helps

1 year () (Permalink)

1. When did you start harming yourself?

End of 2008

2. When did you stop?

2 September 2011

3. What type of self-injury did you do?

I cut myself

4. How frequent do you self-injure?
Did it everyday
 
5. What/ who influenced you?
I started because I couldnt handle the pain and all the feelings inside and the depression made me suicidle
 
6. Why did you self-injure?
Long story
 
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
No

7. How frequent do you self-injure?
I dont anymore  but did do it everyday
 
8. How did you stop?
The fear of losing the people I love in my life stopped me.

Comment Links:

.

1 year () (Permalink)

 

1. When did you start harming yourself?
I started at age 13.
2. When did you stop?
I did'nt stop.
3. What type of self-injury did you do?
Cutting mostly.
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
It really depends on my feelings but like once a week for sure.
5. What/ who influenced you?
People on the internet. I was feeling really down and sometimes suicidal and when I heard about self-harming I thought it might help.
6. Why did you self-injure?
I still do and I would love to answer your question but I really don't know. :\
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
No.
8. How did you stop?
I didn't stop.

Comment Links:

Anonymous

Have you finished your paper?

1 year () (Permalink)

1. Around 14 or 15 years old

2. When I was nineteen, with a little relapse when I was 33.

3. Cut myself, but lately I've been hitting myself when I'm anxious.

4. Back in high school (cutting) it intermittent, but never more than once a week. Sometimes I'd go for a month or so without cutting, but then I'd do it again. I'm beginning to have a problem with wanting to hit myself when I'm stressed, but trying to swim or other exercise instead. Getting enough exercise has always helped me with the urge to hurt myself.

5. Friends, grunge sub-culture. It was the 90s, and many of my friends cut themselves, or gave themselves tattoo-like scars. Even though a lot of people were doing it, I kept it secret from everyone but my 2 closest friends.

6. It felt good. It was a way to deal with overwhelming feelings of hurt. After cutting, all of my tesion would be gone and I'd feel relaxed. Until high school, I didn't have a lot of friends. Suddenly in high school I made a lot of friends and started dating, but I still worried about being unlikable and I felt a lot of pain and rejection from before. I felt like I was letting the pain bleed out so I could calm down.

7. Yes in high school, but as far as I know we've all stopped now.

8. I stopped because I was living in residence in university and I didn't want my roommate or anyone else in res to know. Even if there'd been any privacy for cutting, I also wanted to stop because I felt that cutting was making me feel worse about myself. When I wanted to cut, I would "cut" in a sketchbook with a red pen, or red paint. I'd set up my usual "ritual" but instead of a razor, I'd use the pen/ sketchbook. I also started running to get all the feelings out, plus I was feeling a lot more loved and secure in my friendships. It was extremely hard to stop, and it took about 6 months of trying to use substitutes. Now when I get very stressed or anxious, I still have the urge to cut, but I don't allow myself to keep razors or exacto knives around, I get lots of exercise to help with the stress, and I tell myself I just have to focus on not cutting myself today, and not worry about whether or not I'll start again in the future. Other than the slip up when I was around 33 (very stressful time at work), I haven't cut myself for 17 years.

Anonymous

 

1 year () (Permalink)

 

1. When did you start harming yourself?

About 3 years ago so i was 12-13
2. When did you stop?

I haven't
3. What type of self-injury did you do?

​Burning and cutting

4. How frequent do you self-injure?

A few times a week
5. What/ who influenced you?

I was really unhappy at school and at home and i knew people used it to cope and i couldn't find anything else that made me feel better 
6. Why did you self-injure?

​To cope with stress and depression, looking at the scars helps me calm down

7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?

I had one but she stopped
7. How frequent do you self-injure?

A few times a week

8. How did you stop?

I stopped for a while because i wasn't completely relying on it but i got to the point where i felt i needed it again 

Anonymous

Help for your paper

1 year () (Permalink)

1. I started harming myself in elementary school. I would bang my head on the wall, and try to bruise and break bones with a hammer.
2. I have not stopped. I am 43 years old and still self injure.
3. I started cutting when I was 18 years old. It started out as scratches but quickly turned into something different. The more I did it, the deeper the cuts had to be. I now consistently cut myself so deep that I have had to go to wound care to have the cuts debrided and packed. I have also nicked arteries and lost large amounts of blood. I have
also burnt myself with cigarettes, but don't find that as satisfying as cutting.
4. I have had times where I self injured multiple times a day everyday for months and months. Sometimes just every once in a while. I've just started again after a year of not doing it.
5. I don't think I was influenced to start cutting. I have many influences in my life who try to get me to stop when I'm honest with them. But usually it's my little secret.
6. I self injure to make myself feel better. It puts me in a better mood if I'm depressed, and it calms me down if I am manic and have to slow down the thoughts in my head. I like how it feels. I like how it looks to see that deep cut with blood pouring out of it. I like that it hurts for days afterwards. I like everything about it.
7. I've never had friends who self injure...that I know of anyway. It's such a secret, personal thing.
8. When I'm really into it I will self injure several times a day for months and months. But sometimes it's just an every once in while thing to use when nothing else works. I have a kit always on hand that contains razor blades, and wound care supplies to take care of the injury. I've even done it at work.
8. I haven't stopped. I'm going on 25 years as a cutter and I don't think I ever will stop.

Anonymous

 

1 year () (Permalink)

 

1. When did you start harming yourself?
I am not sure when I started to hurt myself, I started cutting when I was 11 and I am currently 24. I think I was doing other methods of self-injury before that but I don't remember exactly what and when I started.

2. When did you stop?
The longest I have stopped for was about a year at which point I was 20-21

3. What type of self-injury did you do?
At some point or another I have cut, burned, self hitting, wrist banging, hair pulling. Although for the most part I usually stick to self hitting and cutting.
 
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
I usually hit myself daily, cutting I do once every couple months. Cutting is the one that seems to bug people the most so I am trying to stop that although I have discovered without cutting I hit myself a lot more. I don't really discuss the hitting so I doubt that anyone really knows

5. What/ who influenced you?
At the time I started I didn't really know anything about it, it was something i did accidently one night and then kept doing it.

6. Why did you self-injure?
It's a distraction from my mind and I feel like I deserve to be in pain. I feel like I should be more then what I have become, that people expect more from me. 
 
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
I do have friends that hurt themselves, I have learned a lot about it from them, it has given me the chance to look in. My penpal in England (who I have now met) had a lot of problems with it as well as one of my friends in high school. Also there were four of us on the high school rugby team that SI.
 
8. How did you stop?
​I haven't, I would like to but at this point in my life I realize that it will be quiet difficult because it is something I think about daily, self-injury has become my norm. It is more about actually removing the thoughts from my brain before I will be ever able to stop.
S_K_R_I_L_L_E_X

Help for your research

1 year () (Permalink)

1.  In 7th grade when i was 13

2.  i am 17 and am currently still self harming

3. I am a moderate to severe cutter

4.  As of right now it is multiple times a day

5.  I was influenced by other people who si and i tried it and it started from there

6. i am bipolar which means intense conflicting emotions that i could not deal with, so that was my coping skill, yet sometimes i am numb and bored so i just do it to do it.

7.  Yes   i know many people who self injure even as young as 14 and as old as 30

Comment Links:

1. When did you start harming

1 year () (Permalink)

1. When did you start harming yourself?

December 2006, so a litle more then 5 years

2. When did you stop?
Haven't completely stopped. I've stopped, but for never more then 6 months
 
3. What type of self-injury did you do?
Cutting my shoulder, calf, top of my feet, top of my thigh, and my hip, starving, digging my nails into my hands and arms, picking at skin and scabs
 
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
Daily

5. What/ who influenced you?
I guess you could say my parents because they were always fighting and my peers becasue I was always looked down upon.

6. Why did you self-injure?
To releive tension and stress
 
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
Yes, but he doesn't know that I do

7. How frequent do you self-injure?
Basically daily
 
8. How did you stop?
I would stop because someone would see the cuts and ask how I got them, so I would stop for a little while only to pick up again in a few months in a different spot.

Comment Links:

Liz

 

1 year () (Permalink)

 

1. When did you start harming yourself?
September 2010

2. When did you stop?
I haven't stopped yet

3. What type of self-injury did you do?
​Cutting, Burning, Wound-picking
 
4. How frequent do you self-injure?
About twice a week, sometimes more sometimes less. 

5. What/ who influenced you?
To start? No one. I chose to cut because I didn't know what else to do to help.

6. Why did you self-injure?
​I started because my cousin was really sick and supposed to pass away and my dad said that I should have known he was going to die. I didn't have anyone to talk to. 
 
7. Did you have friends who self-injured as well?
Yes. I found out after I started though.

7. How frequent do you self-injure?
​About twice a week, sometimes more sometimes less. 
 
8. How did you stop?
​I haven't.

Comment Links:

I hope this helps with your paper :)

1 year () (Permalink)

1) I started harming myself about...three months ago? In that short time I already have 300+ cuts and scars.

2) I still have not stopped self harming.

3) I cut myself with a razor blade.

4) I self injure every night before bed, so usually once a day. Sometimes it can be two to three times a day.

5) Nothing really influenced me, I just started doing it on my own.

6) Well, it's kind of complicated. I started to deal with the overwhelming sadness and anxiety I was feeling. Now I do it because I'm so addicted to that pain and seeing myself bleed. It's impossible for me to go a day or two without some sort of self harming, whether it be scratching, cutting, or hitting. Usually I cut, though.

7) I do, I have two friends. One used to, and one is trying to stop.

8) I still have yet to find a way to stop self harming.

 

I hope this helps! Good luck <3

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