My older sister cut for a while... I didn't even know until years later. You have to know I've ALWAYS looked up to my older sister. She was the perfect child I couldn't ever live up to in my eyes. But instead of resenting her, I used that to compete with her. To this day I'll still call her over anyone else if I need advice.

You NEVER would have guessed that she cut, but she was depressed. She described it to me as it really did make her feel better, cutting kept her from suicide. We were middle class, she was the perfect kid to my parents, it wasn't because of anyone on the outside, it was how she was internally. It wasn't something she could escape and the cutting gave her a kind of adrenaline sort of feel. It helps release basically happy endorphines.

Basically what I'm saying is, it's not always the outer environment that contributes to this type of issue, sometimes it's a completely internal war. Your SD needs help. Emotional health, therapy, and any threat of suicide needs to be taken completely seriously. Don't baby her too far either (that can be dangerous as well). But if she's cutting there really may be something going on mentally and emotionally and it's possible something did happen that she's not willing to come foreward about.

You need to have a serious talk with your SO about everything. Ask him point blank what he thinks is too far, and what he's going to do if SD passes that threshhold or goes too far to ever come back. If she's threatened it, she may be reaching out for help (in a twisted way, I know).

It's a tough situation for all parties involved... She needs help.

Being seen as perfect - yes, can be a cutter.  I thought that becasue I THOUGHT bad things I was a bad person. So I cut. You don't have to be abused to be a cutter. Your life can look perfect to everyone and things are going good and you are a cutter.

I was a cutter. There are times I have to fight very hard to NOT cut anymore. She needs therapy to help her find out WHY she's cutting.

I was a cutter. Not nearly to the extent that it sounds like SD is. My dad told me he wished they could have afforded therapy for me but they were really poor. I ended up going to therapy when I was about 18-19 and most of my issues stemmed from not thinking my mom loved me. She is not someone who shows affection. The therapist made me take my mom with me to an appointment and my mom yelled at me, "You know I love you!" LOL. Anyway, I had a pretty good life growing up, I really think it was just adjusting to puberty and hormones. I don't take antidepressants but I do take anxiety medication. 

I really don't know how to explain it but cutting does make you feel better. 

You must make her go for help.  You can’t let this go on.  !!!!!!!!!!!

My SD was a cutter. When all of the Sharp instruments were locked away, she resorted to burning. As far as we know, she did not experience any sexual trauma; she is bipolar.

Self injury is not something to ignore. This kid needs help. Call child services if the parents won't get her help.

The French call it ennui, Americans call it dysphoria.  It's on the rise, and I think there's a good reason.

Ever heard of Maslow's Hierachy of Needs?  You don't see people who are stuggling to live having these types of thoughts.  People who are well fed and pampered have lots of time to sit around thinking about how depressed they are.  IMO, having a purpose in life and learning to be good at something leads to fullfillment, self-esteem, and not having time to ruminate.  She needs to get a job.

My daughter cut when she was around 16, it was devastating to me as a mom, and I felt incredibly guilty. We found out because her sister walked into the bathroom, she thought younger sister was in the shower already, she wasn't and older sister saw hundreds of cuts, scars on her thighs. She came and told me, I was mortified when I saw her legs. I went through her room, found bloody napkins, towels, and lots of razors, I took everything. If she wanted to shave her legs she had to check out the razor and give it right back, everything sharp was locked up. At the time I worked at a mental health facility, I spoke to the child psychologist and a therapist, she wasn't suicidal, she was emotionally in pain. I found her kinda like a sponsor, someone just a few years older than her, that also had cut, that she could reach out to if she needed. Two other things were recommended and seemed to help as well, she wore a hair tie/rubber band on her wrist, and when she felt the urge to cut she would snap the rubber band on her skin, it stung which gave her a similar sensation to the cutting, the other thing she did was she used a red marker to make "cut" marks on her thighs. She also saw a therapist.

From the outside my daughter looked perfect, she was very popular, she was athletic, homecoming queen, no significant trauma in her life. But she was struggling inside. She still occasionally sees a therapist, but hasn't cut in over 5 years. 

I know I'm a guy but I was a cutter. I didn't do it because I was bored.

Sometimes I cut because I didn't like myself.
Sometimes I cut because I was so numb with pain and grief that I wanted to FEEL something.
Sometimes I cut because I wanted attention.

I had a crap childhood and crap parents.