How do you help a friend who is cutting her arm to relieve stress?


Question:
I have a friend who suffers from anxiety, stress, and depression. Nothing seems to be going right or helping. She has eating issues and everyone is worried. To releave her stress she has resulted back to cutting her arms. I know she won't really cut her wrists as a suicide attempt. But I hate seeing her suffer though, and I don't know how to make her stop cutting. She needs other options.

Answers:
Make sure she has clean blades and wipes her arm down with alcohol first. You don't want her getting an infection.
Tell a parent or a councilor about it.
she needs to talk to a couselor...self mutilation is a poor way to deal with stress and she needs to talk to someone about finding other options that work for her.
i had a friend b4 like this..talk to her about the harm of doing this..also consult her about its gonna be bad marks all over her hands..think beauty! haha
comfort her. ask her to tell you what is wrong her. this may not sound like much, but it helped my friend from commiting suicide. hope she gets better. =)
Cutting is very common among teens and people in their 20's, even older.

It is near impossible to kill yourself that way so you don't need to worry about that.

People self injure for different reasons and it seems like your friend is in a real bind here.

As a friend,do not judge her, let her know that you care and try to get her to a school therapist or to talk with an adult she trusts.

I wish you both the best.Your friend is lucky to have you.
This is a really bad situation. She needs medical attention. I know people that have had this. They are so "empty" or stressed that they cut themselves just to get some sense of control in their lives because they feel they have no control at all. Seriously, she needs medical help. A psychiatrist would be the best, but a psychologist could be a starting point too. Call the police if you have to because she's being a threat to her own life. This can progressively worse and she may commit suicide and you don't want that on your mind.
One of my good friends was a cutter. I found it helpful to always be there for her. You can't make her stop cutting, so don't be discouraged. It's almost impossible to change someones mind when it comes to stuff like this. If you say "you should talk to a counselor," it won't help. Imagine having a problem and someone telling you that, would you really consider that advice? You have to be patient and wait until she realizes she has a problem, then you can take action. But, stick by her no matter what, people always need someone to fall back on..I wish the best for your friend and you as well.
if shes not seeing a doc she needs too,asap
Hmm try to make her happy by doing things that she like, in favour to her. Points is to make her happy to divert her thoughts.
She needs serious professional help. Check with her doctor or even yours to guide you to the right place for her. After that may I introduce you to JESUS?
encourage her to seek help.
the old saying of you can lead a horse to water, but you cant make it drink, unfortunately often holds true for people in her situation.she has to want the help before it will do much good.

I used to work with a girl who had some pretty hideous scars from cutting her arms - and now that she is "healthy" again, she is very self conscious of the scars that are left behind.you may want to point that out to your friend.

Be there for her - let her know you are there for her - and if your parents are the cool kind, you may want to let them in on your concern.

you dont mention how old either of you is.and your age may play a role in her best options.

and you never know how desperate a person is.she may be suicidal and she may truly not be - I wouldnt freak over it, but I wouldnt rule it out either.

i know someone who killed themself - and at one point we were very close - and ironically enough i found out later that during that time, and at a time when I thought she was a little wierded out - but not totally out there - she had attempted suicide.it took a few times before she succeeded - but she eventually did.

I'm telling you, you just never know!

Good luck with your friend, and I would consult a grownup you trust.
I would say that she needs to talk to someone about this. All that I can say is just tell her that you are her friend. Be there for her. Let her know that she is a person who is loved by many. Give her encouragement to break this habit. Be a positive example in her life.
tell a counsler or a resposible parent..she def. needz HeLp!
AMPUTATE ONE OF HER HANDS..! THAT'S IT.PROBLEM SOLVED!
pray god . Teach her how precious her body is that god has given.JESUS IS ANSWER FOR ALL YOUR QUESTIONS.
Well for one I just want to mention that I'm not just making guesses, I know what it feels like to have the need to cut yourself and I really wish your friend the best in her recovery. And you are right most people who cut arent doing it for attention or b/c they are trying to commit suicide. And you cant just MAKE her stop cutting let her know that you are there for her and let her know that you love her and care so much about her and if she likes the pain from it.. rubber band snapping might help.. as long as she isnt snapping over cuts that havent healed. but I mean that is pretty much all you can do for her if she goes to church you might want to see if she would want to talk to her pastor or church person, I know that helped me when I was going through it. if you need any more help or if you or your friend just want to talk about w/e then email me. hs_teen_08@yahoo.com and I wish your friend the best
im not that lucky, i wish i could be u people think im anorexic, but i eat like a pig
More Questions & Answers...

The consumer health information on youqa.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 YouQA.com -   Terms of Use -   Contact us

Health Resources