Why do people slit their wrists?

[Anonymous]

like i mean i know they do it for suicide,
but...

correct me if im wrong
but

won't you be in pain for the next 30 minutes to an hour?
waiting to bleed out?

i mean you won't just sit there and wait to die you will feel all of that...
until you bleed out i mean if you want to kill yourself why do this?

thats 30 minutes of hell...
(thats a cool band name)

but i dont get it
correct me if im wrong I don't know if its really like this i just assume it is

[Tori_Ritorna]

People who self-harm usually have underlying, unresolved issues. They are suffering from immense emotional pain. Their pain is so deep-rooted that it is hard for most people to comprehend why they behave the way they do. The reason they don't feel the physical pain is because they become dissociated , so they aren't even aware of what they are doing most of the time. They become in a trance like state.

My father was Psychiatric doctor and treated many patients who self-harmed. One woman did this , because she was burdened with guilt form her past, so she felt she needed to be punished. So self-harming was her way of lifting the burden of guilt.

[archiz]

I don't know...:/
actually I once cut my hand badly while doing a model and cut the vein too.
so honestly you don't feel anthng at first, just cold fluid and after you just feel drained but no real pain. like from experience haha...
people do it I guess to distract themselves from their emotional pain.
They go into a certain trance and kind off give in to the sensation.

[Asker]

it would be hard for me to get a sensation from that..
i hate pain

[archiz]

sensation of pain...
physical pain>emotional pain

[fauchelevent]

Well, if they do it correctly, it probably won't take 30 minutes for them to die and they won't be conscious for all of it. Their arm will also go numb from blood loss at some point so it definitely won't hurt throughout the whole thing. It's could be considered an easier way than taking pills which can cause you to spasm and have fits.

[Asker]

i didn't know blood numbs

[fauchelevent]

You know when sometimes people have their leg go completely numb and they need it amputated? That can be caused by an obstruction which stops blood getting to the area. If your blood flow is disrupted or you lose a lot of blood, you start to loose feeling in the affected area.

[Asker]

see all this can happen from cutting..

[fauchelevent]

Well, yes, from cutting too deep. That will only really happen if you fully intend to kill yourself. For people who self-harm but aren't suicidal, their arm won't go numb but they will also put pressure on the wounds that mean they won't hurt and they'll heal.

[Asker]

cutting deep

i would probably spaz out from the pain before i even reached the vain

[EmpatheticLady]

Cutting isn't always done to commit suicide. Sometimes, it's a way to substitute pain for pain. Their emotions are so strong and hurt so much that they would rather have or deal with a different type of pain, something to get their minds off depression, heartache, etc...

[Asker]

I've heard of this but if the physical pain would take their mind off the mental pain doesn't that mean the physical pain is worse?

[EmpatheticLady]

I think it may be worse, but that they don't care at that point because it's helping them forget their thoughts... even if it's temporary.

[Asker]

thoughts must really be bad then

[EmpatheticLady]

They definitely can be. I can't lie there. I deal with depression myself, and I know how negative my thoughts and emotions can be at times. I haven't cut, so all of what I've said is based off what I've heard those that do cut have said, have read, or have speculated, of course.

[Asker]

I've been depressed too but never this bad..

[EmpatheticLady]

Yeah, there are varying levels of depression, of course, and some people seem to manage better than others. I don't know. It's tough either way.

[genericname85]

usually it´s a cry for help and happens in a moment of extreme depression. the usual slit across the wrist won´t kill you. it just hurts and if you´re deep enough, you´ll cut your ligaments.

the cut along the arm will make it more likely to die so if a person REALLY was going to die, his/her arm will be cut all the way from elbow to wrist.

also: in the moment you´re doing this, your mind isn´t really in this world. your thoughts are racing and most people don´t even feel the physical pain, as the emotional pain is so much stronger that it makes them apathetic.

[Asker]

and i remember people used to think it was cool to cut themselves..

[genericname85]

yeah you know some see it in movies and think it´s cool. your basic dumb peoples mimicry ^^

[BertMacklinFBI]

i think slitting the wrists is like the ultimate cry for attention, deep down, they're hoping someone finds them.

[Asker]

find them as in sees the cuts
or find them bleeding

[BertMacklinFBI]

perhaps both.

[Anonymous]

Not everyone does it for death. Cutting is a form of feeling something, when otherwise the person is numb. They're hurting, but at the same time don't feel anything. It's a depression thing, sometimes a cry for help.

[Asker]

i dont think i will understand this
it must be love that does that

[DarkHumorRUs]

Apparently pain is a release for them or something. I really don't FUCKIN get it either.

[DarkHumorRUs]

And those people who have dozens of cuts on their wrist are either not trying to kill themselves, or they're fucking idiots, cause it is really easy to make yourself bleed out if you know what you're doing.

[Asker]

yes I've seen a person with cuts from the wrist almost to the elbow and i didn't understand it..

[DarkHumorRUs]

Well all I know is if you wanna bleed out you're supposed to slice all along the vein, so vertical, not horizontal.

[Asker]

forget that
if i truly want to die i know where my uncle keeps his gun
and he taught me how to use it
he trusts me though obviously

[DarkHumorRUs]

Or that.

[Jack_S]

Bleeding out isn't very painful. Only the initial cut is, and that becomes numb overtime.

[Asker]

so if the cut is bad enough for you to bleed out
it will stil go numb

[Jack_S]

doesn't go numb from the pain, but from blood loss

[Asker]

oh
...

[SolitaireBond]

If we seriously knew the answer to this, then no one would do it in the first place.

[dominiquois]

It's never a logical reason so don't bother. Some people get a high off of it.

[Anonymous]

I don't think every cut is meant to suicide, but more as a means to feel something or feel something else.